


Cruel Summer

by burnthiscityxx



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24125128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burnthiscityxx/pseuds/burnthiscityxx
Summary: Nini doesn’t stray too far out of her comfort zone, but when she’s forced to spend the summer on Sawyer Island, it’s the perfect time to reinvent herself. What happens when she finally takes a chance on new people, new plans, and a boy named Ricky Bowen?
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 30
Kudos: 165





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to do a fic that took place over summer vacation and I love the idea of small towns - I also binge-watched Outer Banks recently, so that's probably where my brain was. Also, I'm not entirely sure if I can call this a prologue, but...that's what I'm doing anyway.
> 
> Title is from my QUEEN, Taylor Swift, obviously. 
> 
> Hope you guys like! :)

Five.

In the last ten minutes, that’s how many boat-related shops Nini has cycled past on the main street of Sawyer Island. It seems a little excessive - surely there are other things to do here besides diving or fishing - but she’s trying really hard not to be judgmental. Instead, she takes note of the bakeries and coffee shops, the convenience stores, and the small fashion boutiques. The old brick buildings remind her of Chapel Hill and as she turns left down a winding road, she’s hit with another pang of homesickness.

The Salazar-Roberts family only left their old townhouse yesterday, but it feels like it’s been a year already. Sawyer Island was never their summer plan, but Nini’s starting to figure out that just like people - plans change.

Not that she’s bitter about it or anything.

She parks her mint-green bicycle and locks it, looking up at the store with neon yellow lettering splashed across its windows. ‘IDLEWILD MUSIC.’ It’s a stark contrast to all the pastel colors that take up the rest of the main street and within seconds, Nini is grabbing her backpack and entering the store, pausing for a moment to relish the cold air-conditioning.

It’s quiet, just the soft sounds of Vivaldi playing on the stereo, as she makes her way towards the guitar section, running her fingers over the delicate strings, plucking a few as she walks past them. Nini’s always been a ukulele girl, but it’s a goal of hers to learn how to play guitar. She’s just never had the time, between piano lessons, the drama club, and the Scholastic team, back in Chapel Hill. But now, on an island with barely anything to do for the next two and a half months, she wonders if maybe she could pick it up.

“Can I help you?”

A voice startles her and Nini squeals, her heart jumping into her throat. “What the hell!” she cries.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to surprise you, I just...I heard the strings going and didn’t realize we had a customer!”

He’s taller than she is, wearing a faded, Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt and khaki shorts. His messy brown curls turn lighter where the sun hits and he’s coming off a little shy, hands stuck in his pockets and Nini finds herself thinking, _‘This is what breathtaking feels like.’_

She shakes her head. “No, it’s...it’s fine, sorry, I’m just a little jumpy,”

“Yeah, well,” he shrugs, runs a hand through his hair. “Can I help you with anything? Are you looking for a guitar?”

“Actually, I’m looking for some new ukulele strings,”

“You play the ukulele! That’s cool,” he grins easily and gestures her to follow him to another section of the store.

The shelves are lined with more instruments and Nini decides she could spend her summer at Idlewild Music, easily. He grabs a few small packets, hands them to her, and together, they walk to the cashier.

“Are you new in town? I haven’t seen you around before,” he remarks, taking her money and ringing up the cash register.

“Sort of. We just drove in yesterday, we’re spending the summer here,” she explains. “My moms and I,” Nini adds.

He grins again, one of those lopsided smirks. “That’s cool. Have you ever been on Sawyer Island before?”

“First time. We’re from North Carolina,”

“Well then...welcome,” he hands her the receipt and she tucks it into her pocket. Nini gives him a smile, mumbles a hurried goodbye, and leaves the store.

It occurs to her then, on the pavement in the blazing hot sun, that she could have asked him his name, where he was from, if he was from around here. She’s not great at that - questions and answers and getting to know someone. Then again, she’s never really needed those skills. North Carolina is the only place Nini has ever known and she’s had the same friends since kindergarten. She’s been comfortable all this time.

But being here, in a brand new place, the summer before she’s about to start her senior year - Nini starts to feel something electric buzzing underneath her skin. Maybe it’s time to start taking a chance, start getting out of her own comfort zone.

 _‘Besides, it’s not like we’re going back to Chapel Hill at the end of summer,’_ she thinks to herself, a little bitterly, as she hops back onto her bicycle.

Because that was the second part of the one-two punch her moms had given her a few months ago. Not only were they spending their summer vacation on Sawyer Island, they were moving to Salt Lake City, where both her moms were going to start their new jobs and where Nini was going to start her senior year. She’s trying really hard to be an adult about it, but it isn’t easy. Her moms always tell her that she needs to take risks, take a leap of faith, and take chances, to live a little. She knows they’re right, to some extent. She can’t stay in her room forever, cooped up in the comfort she’s always known, never meeting anyone new.

Maybe it's time.

After all, plans change.

People change.


	2. Summer Crushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First official, full-length chapter! Hope you guys like - let me know what you think! :)

“So, first official day of summer vacation! What are everyone’s plans?” Mama C asks cheerfully, setting down a platter of pancakes on the table. Sunlight streams through the bay windows and the view from their kitchen is spectacular - sparkling, crystal blue waters and flashy yachts dot the horizon.

“I’ve got a call in half an hour - the office in Utah wants to go through some contracts with me,” Mama D replies absentmindedly and Nini smirks. So much for spending quality family time together during the summer.  
  
Mama C sighs and sits down, placing a pancake on each of their plates. “As much as I want to tell you to quit working for the summer, I’ve got a call later today, as well. The hospital wants to catch me up on a few things,”  
  
“Nini, you’ll be okay on your own for today? What have you got going on?” Mama D asks.  
  
Nini opens her mouth to give her usual, standard answer - stay home, write a couple of new songs, finish the last few episodes of Gossip Girl, maybe. Instead, her mind drifts back to Idlewild Music, with its neon yellow sign and the rows of unplayed guitars and the soft Vivaldi through the speakers. And the boy. Whoever he is.  
  
“If it’s okay, can I go exploring? There are a couple of shops on the main street I didn’t get a chance to visit,” she says, catching the look that flits between both her moms.  
  
“Of course, hon. Just be careful. And wear your SPF, the sun looks especially brutal today,” Mama C grins.

* * *

_‘It’ll be good practice for when we get to Utah,’_ she tells herself, as she cycles back to Idlewild Music.  
  
She wants to be the kind of person who can hold her own in a conversation, wants to be open and honest and friendly - she just doesn’t know how to do that. Chapel Hill was small and even though Sawyer Island is by all accounts smaller, it still feels like a whole new world - one she wants to be ready for, though, as scary as it seems.  
  
When she reaches Idlewild Music though, there’s a girl in her mid-twenties behind the counter this time around, so Nini doesn’t stay long - she doesn’t want to seem like the creepy tourist tracking someone down, after all. Part of her doesn’t know what she’s even looking for. She doesn’t know if this is a stupid, silly crush or just a sudden burst of bravery, but he seemed nice and sweet and non-threatening. Nini recalls the way his eyes lit up when he found out she played the ukulele, the curve of his smile and she’s just...intrigued. But she doesn’t know his name, or if he even really worked at the store, or if he’s even from Sawyer Island at all.  
  
So instead, Nini finds a little reprieve in a cafe nearby, ordering an iced tea and settling down for the next hour. The cafe windows give her a great view of the island’s main street and she people-watches, finding that the majority of Sawyer Island’s residents seem to all be born and bred from the same characteristics - wealthy, preppy, and with an excessive love for pastel. She still doesn’t quite know what to make of it.  
  
“Hey...North Carolina, right?”  
  
The voice is painfully familiar and when she turns around, she sees the boy from Idlewild Music, as if she’s somehow managed to conjure him straight from her imagination. His hair is squashed down underneath a baseball hat, but his eyes are still sparkling bright enough for Nini to lose her breath.  
  
“Um - hi,” she clears her throat. Silence falls between them and without thinking, she sticks her hand out awkwardly. “I’m Nini, by the way,” she announces.  
  
He raises his eyebrows at the sudden formality, but shakes her hand, a small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “I’m Ricky. Nice to meet you,”  
  
She nods and she’s not entirely sure what her next move is supposed to be. If she invites him to sit down, is that too presumptuous? Should she offer to buy him a drink? Luckily, Nini doesn’t have to think about it too hard - Ricky hops up onto the stool next to hers and rests an elbow on the table, turning his whole body towards her. She can feel a humming underneath her skin, like there’s an electric current just running through her veins and her mind’s gone a little fuzzy from being in such close proximity to him. She knows this feeling all too well, but she also knows that she doesn’t need a crush right now - what she needs are friends. So crushes on cute boys who work in music stores are absolutely out of the question.  
  
It’s a hard thing to remember, because Ricky smells incredible.  
  
“So how are those strings working out for you?” he asks, taking a sip of his iced coffee.  
  
“They’re great - thanks for the help,” she smiles and internally cheers when he smiles back, like she's passed some sort of friendship test. “I didn’t ask you yesterday, but are you from Sawyer Island?”  
  
“No, we’re summer tourists, like you,” he chuckles. “I just work at the music store during the summers,”  
  
“Where are you originally from?”  
  
Ricky pauses and clears his throat a little, before answering, “Kind of everywhere. We moved around a lot, but Sawyer Island’s always been a summer home.”  
  
He turns away from her and gazes out the cafe windows for a moment and Nini wonders if she had maybe asked the wrong thing. Did she overstep a boundary? Maybe he didn’t want to talk about something so personal, so fast? Not wanting to push it any further, she takes a calculated sip of her iced tea and tries to change the subject.  
  
“So...Sawyer Island. There isn’t much to do, is there?”  
  
That seems to do the trick and Ricky turns back, fully, towards her again. “Ah, but that’s because you’ve only seen the island through the eyes of the country clubbers - not through the eyes of someone seasoned and experienced,”  
  
“Can you be experienced at an island?” she asks.  
  
“Work with me, Nini,” he laughs. She smiles, decides she likes it when he laughs and likes it even more when she’s the one who makes him laugh.  
  
“I’m serious! It seems like all anybody does here is fish and golf - neither of which sound particularly exciting,”  
  
“Jet-skiing? Paragliding? Just going out on a boat to hang out? Those things don’t sound like fun?”  
  
Nini shrugs. “They sound fine, I guess,”  
  
“You’re hard to impress. But alright, fine - consider me challenged,” he laughs and sits up straighter, his hand brushing back a wayward curl. “I will personally see to it that you fall in love with Sawyer Island - the real island, not just the glossy parts of it,”  
  
She quirks an eyebrow at him, tries to act cool, calm, and collected, but in reality, she’s internally freaking out. _‘It can’t be this easy, can it?’_ she thinks. Is this how making friends works? You run into someone in a music store and suddenly you’re talking like it’s the easiest thing in the world? Nini regards him for a moment, takes in his confident gaze, his messy curls, the creases in his light blue dress shirt, how the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows.  
  
“Alright, fine. Deal,” she decides, sticking her hand out again. He laughs and shakes her hand and Nini feels electric.  
  
She expects Ricky to get up and leave then, but instead, the conversation continues. He asks her about school in Chapel Hill, what she’s interested in, how long she’s been playing the ukulele. And to Nini’s credit, she asks him questions right back - how old he is (17 years old), if he has any siblings (none), and if he plays any instruments. The last one perks her interest, Ricky tells her that he plays a lot of guitar and piano and writes songs - and Nini makes a comment about hearing some of them sometime and she can’t tell if this is flirting or not, but it feels good all the same. They exchange numbers and it feels normal and natural, like they've known each other for years. She likes that he makes her laugh.  
  
They’re interrupted by a text from Mama D, asking Nini if she’ll be home for dinner, and it’s only then she realizes just how long they’ve been talking. The sun is just starting its descent below the horizon, but she barely notices any of it, her mind still struggling to wrap itself around the fact that she might have made a new friend today. Ricky waves goodbye to the barista behind the counter and they head out into the cool air, Nini shivering slightly in her denim shorts.  
  
“This is you?” he asks, pointing towards the mint-green bicycle locked up in the racks. She nods, grabbing a cardigan out of her little backpack and shrugging it on. “Yeah, you...might have a problem getting back home,” he raises his eyebrows questioningly.  
  
“What are you talking about?” she turns to her bike and gasps - the front tire is completely flat. “Well, that’s perfect,”  
  
Ricky chuckles. “Look, why don’t I give you a ride home? My car’s parked over there,” he waves his hand absentmindedly to the car park across the street.  
  
“Umm…”  
  
“You’re seriously debating this?” he asks.  
  
“I’m not exactly sure what my moms would think if I showed up in the passenger seat of a stranger’s car,” she explains. It’s partly true - sure, they’d be happy she found a safe way home, but Nini doesn’t know if she’s ready to field off any questions about Ricky just yet.  
  
“Yeah, but isn’t that better than walking the streets on your own?” he asks, the corner of his mouth lifting into another smirk - she’s starting to realize that it’ll be the end of her if he keeps doing that. But before she can even open her mouth to protest, Ricky plucks the key out of Nini’s fingers and unlocks the bike in one motion. “Let’s go!”  
  
Oh, okay, so it’s not up for discussion.  
  
The drive takes approximately five minutes and during those five minutes, Nini is trying her very best not to snoop around Ricky’s car. It takes him only a few seconds to settle on a playlist he likes, a mix of Jack Johnson and Harry Styles-esque music that comes through the speakers. He drives with one hand, elbow resting on the windows that he rolls down, letting the evening breeze mess up his curls even more. His other hand taps out the steady rhythm of the music against his knee and the sky looks like a watercolor painting of vibrant oranges, reds, and pinks and Nini thinks she could get used to this.  
  
He throws the car into park when they arrive at the house, immediately hops out and takes out her bike from the back, ready for her when she comes around.  
  
“So...thanks for the ride,” Nini smiles up at him, gripping her bike’s handlebars a little tighter.  
  
“No problem,” he rocks back and forth a little on the balls of his feet and it's something she’s noticed in the past few hours they’ve spent together - it's like Ricky can’t physically keep still.  
  
“I’ll see you around, I guess?”  
  
He nods and she nods back and it’s a little awkward, but Nini knows her moms are on the other side, just waiting to pounce. So she starts pushing her bike towards the garage, when suddenly, Ricky’s next to her again, stopping her in her tracks.  
  
“You should get your bike checked out. I mean, besides the flat tire, who knows what else is going on with it, I’m guessing it’s not yours?” Nini shakes her head. “Okay, so...I know a guy. Or like, a shop. They’re good with bikes,”  
  
“Okay?”  
  
Ricky takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I could take you? Just...Big Red’s dad knows me, so he’ll give a pretty good price. To help out. Do you want to? I can pick you up at like, 10, tomorrow? Or is that too early?”  
  
_'He’s rambling,'_ Nini thinks. And dear God, it’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen, so she just nods, because of course she wants to see him again.  
  
“Great! I’ll text you,” he sighs a breath of relief and Nini racks her brain, trying to figure out if this is friendly or if it's something more. Needless to say, she’s not the best at social cues. Ricky nods at her once, awkwardly, then backtracks to his Jeep, stumbling a little over the rocks on the pathway with a laugh. She turns back to the house, her head a little fuzzy, like she’s been put through the ringer, somehow. She locks her bike in the garage and takes another peek outside, just before the garage doors close - Ricky is still there, waiting until she gets inside safely.  
  
Her heart wants to burst and her skin prickles - maybe a stupid, silly, summer crush isn’t out of the question, after all.


	3. Of Bicycles and Text Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a filler chapter - I wanted to introduce some of the other characters here, as well.
> 
> Hope you guys like it! :)

The next morning, Nini spends a little extra time getting dressed. She picks out a floral skirt and ties off a white t-shirt at the waist, she curls her hair (even though she knows the humidity will probably ruin it in seconds), and even swipes on a little eyeshadow. Her heart feels like it’s full, but her head is trying to keep it all in check. _‘Ricky is a friend,’_ she tells herself. Sure, they texted each other last night, but it wasn’t anything too personal. In fact, it was mostly an argument over which was a better Disney movie - Tangled or Frozen. She’s well aware of the fact that she still doesn’t know him that well, but the idea of spending the next few months on her own is depressing and Ricky is...nice.

At least, that’s what she tells her moms when they ask what her plans are for the day. She conveniently leaves out the fact that Ricky’s smile makes her knees weak and how his constant fidgeting somehow makes her feel centered, and how she’s daydreamed about him giving her guitar lessons.

Because they’re _friends_.

He arrives at 9.58 am and takes the bicycle from her hands easily, rolling his eyes and ignoring her when she insists that she can do it herself. They hop into the car and Nini notices he waits to drive until her seatbelt is fastened. It’s these little things that she keeps, files away in her mind for later.  
  
“Can I ask you something?” she blurts out. Ricky nods, lowers the volume on the radio that’s playing some country song. “Who’s Big Red?”  
  
He laughs, a genuine one, where he throws his head back and tries to cover up a snort. “I should have explained that better, I guess. He’s an old friend - we met when we were 12. I accidentally ran into the go-kart he was building out in his yard...it was a whole thing,” he smiles at the memory and turns left on the road they’re on. “Anyway, his dad owns one of the bike shops here and Red works there during the summers - we’re here, by the way,”  
  
Ricky parks the car and climbs out, Nini following him. The sign says, “The Bike Doctor,” and through the glass windows, she can see a boy sitting behind the counter, his hair sticking up every which way and his skin pale, despite the blazing sun they’re standing under.  
  
“Yo! Big Red!” Ricky calls out, wheeling her bicycle right into the shop. She scurries to catch up with him, reaching the two boys just as they finish greeting each other. “This is Nini,” he introduces her with a flourish. She gives a small wave, momentarily freaking out whether she should go in with a handshake, but before she can overthink it again, Big Red pulls her in for a hug, like he’s known her for as long as he’s known Ricky.  
  
“Nice to meet you!” he cries. “You’re new in town?”  
  
“Just here for the summer. I’m from North Carolina, originally,” she says. “I met Ricky at the music store the other day,”  
  
Big Red nodded. “So what seems to be the problem with the bike?”  
  
“The tire’s busted - any chance you can fix it?” Ricky steps in and Nini rolls her eyes - she’s starting to find out that he likes to be the one in charge and can definitely stand to be taken down a peg or two.  
  
“It’s just a flat. I could change it myself, but Ricky swears you’re the best in town,”  
  
Big Red lets out a chuckle and takes the bike, gesturing for them to follow him towards the back, where the garage is. “He’s right about that, at least,”  
  
Ricky’s arm accidentally nudges against Nini’s as they walk and a spark runs through her. She’s in unchartered territory here, for sure.  
  
“It shouldn’t take too long, right?” she asks.  
  
“Nope. Just give me a few minutes - you guys can just hang out while I do this,” Big Red says, going into the back room to take out a few supplies. “Ricky, if you knock over the new BMX bikes, you’re paying!” he shouts. Ricky grins and immediately beelines for the row of shiny new bikes, ignoring his friend’s warnings.  
  
It’s slightly cooler in the garage and Nini takes a seat in one of the high barstools, legs swinging back and forth underneath her. Big Red wheels her bike out and sets up camp nearby, immediately going to work on the flat tire.  
  
“So you met Ricky at the music store?” Big Red starts the conversation with her first and she turns to face him. He’s a calming presence, welcoming and easy - she may not know how to make many friends, but she was getting pretty good at reading people.  
  
“Yeah, I needed to buy some new ukulele strings,” she explains. “He says you guys have been friends since you were 12?”  
  
“He ran into my go-kart trying to do some trick on his skateboard. Nearly took my eye out and completely destroyed the go-kart, but I took pity on him,” he jokes. “We’ve been friends ever since,”  
  
Nini smiles and keeps the memory of Ricky when he was younger in her mind, slowly and surely collecting bits and pieces of who he is as a person. They talk a little longer, Big Red tells her about his summer plans (learning how to sail and fish) and she opens up about how hard it was to leave behind Chapel Hill. Half an hour later, while she’s in the middle of recounting a story about her drama club’s production of Romeo and Juliet, Big Red takes a glance at his watch and calls Ricky over in a slight panic.  
  
“Sorry, Nini, for interrupting,” he says to her, before turning his attention to Ricky. “Dude, you’re going to be late - it’s Wednesday, remember?”  
  
Ricky checks the time on his phone and his eyes widen. “Shoot, I didn’t realize the time!” he pats himself down to check that he has his wallet and keys, before turning to acknowledge Nini. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I’m an idiot. I just...I have a shift at the music store and it slipped my mind that it’s in like, 10 minutes,”  
  
Nini shakes her head, unbothered. “No, that’s totally okay - you go. I’ll be fine,”  
  
“You sure? I mean, don’t even think about paying Big Red, he can just put it on my tab or something,” Ricky chuckles and Nini just nods, lets the assurances roll from her lips, because she can’t be angry with him - and this situation certainly doesn’t warrant it.  
  
“Go, I’ll be fine,” she shoos him away and again, he fumbles slightly, walking backwards towards the garage doors.  
  
“You’re great - I’ll text you later,” he stops for a beat, giving her another one of those lopsided smiles and Nini grips the edges of her barstool, trying to find some sort of stable ground. That smile shouldn’t be that powerful. “Red, I’ll catch you later!”  
  
Big Red rolls his eyes and hollers back at his friend, standing up and wiping his hands on his jeans. “That kid. He’s never early to anything, I swear,”  
  
Nini watches Ricky leave the shop, hears the sound of his car drive off towards the main street, and then turns her attention back to Big Red. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Just that he’s always painfully late, everywhere he goes. He showed up twenty minutes late for his own surprise birthday party one time,” Nini laughs, because she can see it so clearly in her mind - Ricky running in, completely breathless, offering apologies left and right. It’s endearing that he’s so clueless and Nini wants to know so much more about him, but it almost feels like her mind is skipping steps - she’s only known him for three days, barely.  
  
“But he’s got a big heart - that’s what counts,” Big Red grins. “Anyway, your bike’s all good - I tuned up the chains a little, too. It’s a small town, but there are some people who still drive like they live in the city, so you can’t be too careful,”  
  
Nini jumps out of her seat and immediately gives Big Red a hug. “Thanks! This is great, really. And I know Ricky said not to worry about it, but I would really like to repay you somehow,”  
  
“Don’t even think about it, I’m putting it all under the Bowen tab, I insist. And so does Ricky,” Big Red adds as an afterthought. “Besides, it’s always nice to meet someone new and it’s actually kind of...surprising,”  
  
Nini quirks her eyebrow at that. “Because Sawyer Island is so close-knit?”  
  
“No, I just mean for Ricky. He’s pretty tight-lipped about who he lets into his circle, I guess,” he shrugs. “Although, I guess you’re right about the island, too. Anyway, let me grab your contact details to put on our records, just in case,” Big Red motions her to follow him into the back office and she does, with a little skip in her step.  
  
She doesn’t know how it’s become so seamless - meeting new people and getting to know them. She’s not entirely sure when she decided to kick fear out of the way and just go for it, not sure when that switch flipped in her mind, but she’s grateful it did. Meeting Ricky was like a lightning strike and meeting Big Red is like hanging out with an old friend and Nini’s never felt more comfortable and more out of her comfort zone than she is now. She decides, right then and there, in The Bike Doctor’s office, that she likes it.  
  
A few minutes later, her contact details all uploaded onto the system, Nini is back on her bike, riding it around the garage a few times, getting used to the new tires. She’s just about to do another turn, when two girls walk in, their heads together in deep conversation. They stop when they notice her and smile politely. Nini can see they’re around her age and it’s a little awkward, silence enveloping the garage.  
  
“Oh, hey guys! Didn’t know you were dropping by,” Big Red goes over to give them both a quick hug.  
  
“We were just down at the pier, thought we’d drop in and say hi,” one of the girls says. She’s tall, dark eyes and dark skin, her hair a wild mess that’s pulled back with a printed headband. She leans back against one of the counters and glances over at Nini briefly, before turning her attention back to Big Red. “I guess you’re busy?”  
  
Nini shifts a little and can tell it’s about to get super awkward if she doesn’t say something, so she steps off her bike first. “Sorry, I should have introduced myself - I’m Nini,” she gives them a little wave.  
  
“She met Ricky at the music store the other day and he brought her here so I could fix her bike,” Big Red explains. “Nini, this is Gina and Ashlyn,” he points at the taller girl first, then the other one.  
  
With zero hesitation, Ashlyn walks over and wraps Nini in a quick hug and she’s immediately engulfed in some sort of vanilla and cinnamon perfume. It’s comforting, she finds. A little weird, but it’s to be expected now. “Hi! I’m Ashlyn,” she’s all big smiles and warmth, decked out in a printed sundress that stands out against her pale, slightly burned skin. “I was wondering when we’d get some new blood around here,”  
  
“Don’t scare her just yet, Ash,” Gina laughs, pushes herself off the counter and comes to sling an arm around Ashlyn’s shoulders. The girls are close, Nini can tell, but they’re also welcoming, if the expressions on their faces are of any indication. “I’m Gina, by the way. You know Ricky?”  
  
“Um, barely. He helped me out when I came into the music store to look for replacement strings,” she explains. There’s a look that passes between the two of them, Nini clocks it for a millisecond, but then it’s gone.  
  
“That’s nice of him. And he brought you here to Big Red’s to fix your bike?” Gina asks - it comes off sounding a little territorial and honestly, Gina seems intimidating as hell, so Nini just nods in response.  
  
“ _Super_ nice of him,” Ashlyn grins and it comes off friendlier, but Nini is really trying not to overthink every single little nuance. “Anyway, we’re about to head out for lunch - do you want to join us?”  
  
Nini smiles at them then, breathing a small sigh of relief, as if she’s somehow passed a test. But one quick look at the clock makes her realize that she’s about to be late for a lunch date with her moms, so she thanks them, but declines the offer.  
  
“It’s okay - I’m sure we’ll catch up later,” Ashlyn grins knowingly, stepping forward to give Nini a quick hug. “Red, let’s go!” 

* * *

The ride back home takes longer and it’s certainly less pleasant than sitting in Ricky’s truck, but it gives her a bit of time to appreciate the island. Despite how much she grumbled about spending her summer here, even she can’t deny how beautiful it is - all sandy white beaches and crystal clear waters. Everything is so quaint and charming and it feels safe, contained, and untouched.  
  
When she gets home, she fields questions left and right about Ricky, but Nini spills about meeting Big Red, Gina, and Ashlyn. Her moms are surprised - they haven’t even been here a week and she’s already making friends. It’s a testament to her determination, to say the least. Nini’s never been outgoing or particularly forthcoming about her desire to have or make more friends. But maybe it’s the island, maybe it’s the challenge, maybe it’s even just Ricky - but something about this summer feels like it could be life-changing.  
  
Later that night, Nini snuggles into bed, ready to turn out the light. It’s been a long, weird day and she’s ready to let it go. But just before her eyes close, her phone pings with a new text message and she instinctively reaches to grab it.  
  
_Hey, sorry if I kind of abandoned you today. I hope Red was nice to you and I heard you met Gina and Ashlyn?_  
  
Ricky, of course. She hadn’t thought to get in touch with him after everything that happened at the bike shop today, but she wasn’t surprised he’d be the first to reach out.  
  
_You didn’t abandon me, you had work, it’s not a problem. And yeah, I met Gina and Ashlyn - they seem nice!_  
  
_They’re something else, alright. Kidding. What are you up to?_  
  
Nini smiles, shifts back up from under her blanket so she’s leaning against the headboard, her thumbs hovering over the keypad. There’s a flutter in her chest and she’s about to tell him that she wants to sleep, but then, her phone alerts her that there’s an incoming Facetime call - she accepts it and Ricky’s face fills her screen, wide-eyed, smiling bright, and just as beautiful as she remembers.


	4. Maple Floss, Fireworks, and Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lull in work and a lot more free time produced this! Anyway, I wanted to get the plot moving and really liked writing this chapter, so hope you guys like it too! Let me know what you think and if you’ve got any feedback!

Nini rolls out of bed at half past 11 the next day, bleary-eyed and grumpy as she makes her way downstairs to the kitchen. Her moms eye her warily and ask why she’s so tired, but she can’t bring herself to tell them about the three-hour long phone call with Ricky. It’s not that she wants to hide him or that she’s embarrassed, but she does want to protect it for as long as she can. Her moms wouldn’t care, she knows that, but it feels nice to have something that’s just hers.

Not that Ricky is _hers_. It’s complicated.

When Mama C asks her if she wants to go on a grocery run, Nini agrees. She doesn’t have much to do anyway and the weather is beautiful, all clear skies and chirping birds. She puts her hair into braids, pulls a dress on, and heads out into town, pointing out all the small shops she had seen on her earlier runs.

“How are you liking the island, sweetie? And I want the honest truth,” Mama C warns, as she navigates their car into an empty parking spot.

“Honestly? It’s not so bad,” Nini answers, grabbing a grocery cart and maneuvering it into the store. “I kind of feel like it’s a way to reinvent myself, you know? Or just to try some new things. Step out of my comfort zone, as cheesy as it sounds,”

“That’s exactly what I want to hear. You’ve been making some new friends, right? I know how you are,”

Nini winces at that, because she’s not sure how she’s become this reclusive, introverted, insecure mess of a person at just 17 years old. It’s true she’s never had to make friends before, they were inclusive of the whole growing-up-in-one-place deal. But even then, she knows she’s always been quiet and shy, letting others take the spotlight. If she’s being honest with herself, she’s getting a little tired of it and a little angry for letting it all pass her so easily.

“I’ve been getting better,” she answers finally. “Stepping out of my shell a little. I met some nice people yesterday,” she points out, like it’s a huge achievement.

And it does feel like a win, for Nini, at least. A year ago, she would have never introduced herself to people, let alone girls like Gina and Ashlyn who were so obviously confident in themselves. It speaks volumes that she can do it now, even with all the second-guessing and insecurity.

An hour and a half later, they finish at the grocery store and Mama C says they deserve a treat, so they head to the ice cream shop a few stores down. It’s all pastel colored – much like the rest of the shops on the main street – and weirdly busy for a Thursday, but it’s cozy enough. While they wait for their ice cream to be scooped and served, someone pokes Nini’s side and she flinches instinctively, whirling around only to come face to face with a familiar face.

“Hi! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Gina chuckles, reaching around to grab a napkin from the counter. “I’m about to leave, but I saw you come in earlier,”

“Yeah, we were just at the grocery store,” she explains, before turning to Mama C. “This is my mom, by the way. Mom, this is Gina – we met yesterday,” Mama C shakes Gina’s hand and they chat for a little bit about summer plans until their ice cream arrives.

“Would you like to join us, Gina?” Mama C asks, as they take a seat at a nearby table.

“Oh, thanks, but I’ve got to pick up my little brother at his friend’s house,” she fixes her purse over her shoulder. “Actually, I’m glad I ran into you. I was going to call, but if you and your family are free tomorrow night, there’s a party at Hawk Ridge. Kind of like a kick-off to summer situation,”

“Hawk Ridge?” Nini asks.

“Hawk Ridge Country Club,” Gina clarifies. “It sounds fancier than it actually is, I promise! There’s barbecue and live entertainment and fireworks. It’s a great place to meet the rest of the community,”

“That sounds like fun – count us in!” Mama C agrees enthusiastically.

“Awesome! I’ll pass Nini the details later and put you guys on the list,” Gina grins and bends down to hug Nini – it’s short, but surprises her, nonetheless. “See you tomorrow night!” she exclaims, bounding out of the ice cream shop and into the street.

It almost feels like meeting a different person. Yesterday, at the bike shop, Gina had been slightly stand-offish. She was still friendly, but definitely more intimidating than Ashlyn, but today, it was as if they had been long lost friends. _‘Maybe yesterday was an off day or something,’_ Nini thinks, letting the incident roll of her shoulders.

“Well, looks like we’ll have to go shopping! I don’t think you can wear shorts to a country club, can you?” Mama C asks, taking a bite of her ice cream. “Anyway, you can let mom and I know about the dress code and timing when Gina texts you later,”

Nini nods in agreement at first, until she realizes that they never actually exchanged numbers. But before she can point that out, her phone buzzes and she pulls it out immediately, wondering if her and Gina have some telepathic connection.

_Hey! So, Hawk Ridge Country Club tomorrow night, 6pm for cocktails until late. It’s casual, but no flip flops!_

Nini relays the information to Mama C and types out a quick reply.

_Thanks for the info and the invite! Question – how’d you get my number?_

_Oh, Ricky gave it to me – hope that’s okay :)_

She smiles a little at that, feels her cheeks flush a little and bites her lip to keep from squealing out loud. _‘Pathetic,’_ she chastises herself, with a small smile.

* * *

It’s 4.30pm on Friday and Nini stands in the middle of her room, surrounded by clothes. Her suitcase is upended on the floor, the closet doors are flung wide open, and she’s on the verge of a panic attack because they’re supposed to leave for the party in an hour and she still hasn’t figured out what to wear. On a normal day, Nini doesn’t give much thought to fashion – a few pretty dresses, a good pair of jeans, and basic tops are all that she lives in. But the idea of walking into Hawk Ridge Country Club, where the majority of its members are part of the elite, is daunting, to say the least. Back in North Carolina, the fanciest party she had ever gone to was a Mother’s Day tea organized by Mama D’s law firm.

Given that it was several years ago, it doesn’t really help Nini right now.

There’s a knock at her door and she turns to see Mama D, eyes wide in shock at the mess before her. “It’s worse than it looks!” she cries. “I just…don’t have anything to wear,”

Mama D chuckles and crosses the room to sit at the edge of the bed. “Hon, you have a couple hundred floral dresses, why not just wear one of those?”

Nini pauses, plucks a striped romper out of the pile and holds it up against her. “Everything just looks the same,” she whines.

“Well, you’ll look beautiful no matter what,” Mama D smiles and gets up to give her a quick hug. “Besides, we don’t have to prove anything to these country club types – they’re just people. Now hurry up and get dressed, we’re going to be late,”

Mama D leaves her room and Nini squints her eyes at the item of clothing she has in her hand, her mind spinning. It isn’t that she wants to prove anything to the people of Sawyer Island, in a few months, she’ll be out of here and won’t have to see them again anyway. But she does want to make a good impression. It’s the first official time she’ll get to hang out with Ashlyn and Gina and her first opportunity to really meet new people, instead of just running into them by happenstance and she wants to be good at it.

She’s just not sure if a striped romper is going to help.

* * *

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Nini steps out of the car and lays eyes on the main house of Hawk Ridge Country Club. It immediately takes her breath away, as the sun starts to turn a gorgeous blend of oranges and reds, casting a glow over the entire compound. The main house looks like it belongs on a Southern plantation, pillars lining the front deck, complete with a picturesque porch swing, like something out of a movie.

Nini takes a deep breath and follows her moms into the house, where they’re instantly welcomed by a group of party-goers. They ask for their names, tick them off the list, and just like that, Nini finds herself standing on the back deck, a glass of sparkling apple juice in her hands.

It’s a little awkward, to say the least.

The party is in full-swing, the gardens dotted with clusters of adults and teenagers and little kids running around. Soft music plays in the background and Nini can see the makeshift stage set up in the corner. Further out, where the garden stretches into the rolling golf course, she can see endless stalls of food and party games. The energy in the air is electric, with all the makings of a perfect summer night. Just as Nini decides to join the crowd to get a plate of food, someone taps her on the shoulder.

“You made it!” Gina exclaims.

“I did!” Nini smiles. “This is amazing, by the way, thanks for inviting me and my family,”

“Oh please, it was nothing. Your moms are having a good time, I hope,” Gina directs her gaze towards Mama C and Mama D, both who are already in deep conversation with another couple. “Those are the Caswells,” she points out.

“So…this happens every summer?”

“And then some,” Gina links her arm with Nini’s and they make their way down into the gardens. “My parents like having these parties, they think it’s good to get the community together. The summer kick-off is just the beginning, but there’ll be fundraisers, charity balls…the Fourth of July party last year almost didn’t happen because we couldn’t get the fireworks permits in time, but luckily it worked out,”

“Wait a second,” Nini stops in her tracks. “Your _parents_ like having these parties?”

Gina nods a little sheepishly, her nose crinkling. “Yeah, they own Hawk Ridge. But don’t…make it a big deal, please? My mom basically inherited it from her great-aunt or something, we didn’t even know it was in our family until a few years back,”

“It’s beautiful,” Nini says, in awe of how humble Gina is – it would have been so easy for her to boast about her family’s wealth, but she had no airs about her at all.

Gina just shrugs in agreement and seamlessly switches the topic, gesturing Nini to follow her as they veer to the left side of the property. They come to a small clearing, where a group of people are gathered around a fire pit, voices mingling with one another.

“Guys!” Gina shouts, grabbing everyone’s attention and if it weren’t for Gina’s arm linked through hers, Nini would be shrinking back from all the eyes on her. “This is Nini! She’s new to the island, she knows some of you, and she’s pretty cool, so everybody be nice,”

She waves her hands with a flourish, flashes a smile, and the conversation ramps up again. And just like that, Nini finds herself pulled into the group, warmth settling into her bones as she takes up an empty chair and people come up to say hi.

She hugs Ashlyn again, happy to see a familiar face. She gets introduced to Carlos and Seb, who are also fairly new to Sawyer Island. Nini even meets EJ Caswell, prodigal son of the Caswells – that’s how Ashlyn, his cousin, phrases it – and Gina’s long-time boyfriend, evidenced by the fact that they kiss each other every few minutes. Within the hour, Nini’s heard their life stories, their hopes and dreams, and she feels so damn accepted that it almost makes her cry.

The sun has fully set now, night enveloping the gardens, but it still feels bright – the fairy lights and lanterns set up around the house makes everything feel like its glowing. Nini clocks eyes with her moms, who have taken up a table with the Caswells and some other adults with smiles on their faces. For the first time since they broke the news that they’d be spending summer on Sawyer Island, Nini finally feels at peace.

“Well, look who decided to show up!” Ashlyn cries suddenly, lifting her glass in a mock toast.

Ricky Bowen strolls into the clearing with a confident smirk on his face and Nini feels her stomach flip, any peace she had been feeling completely erased by him. It’s like he lights everything up, he’s so beautiful – and it’s thoughts like that that make Nini second-guess being just friends with him.

“Better late than never,” Ricky jokes, going around the circle to give everyone a quick hug, like they were all just waiting for him to arrive. When he finally reaches Nini, who’s seated at the end of the small circle, she looks up at him expectantly. His confident smirk turns into a full-blown grin and he takes both her hands to lift her up to a standing position. “You’re here!” he exclaims and pulls her in close, practically crushing her against his body.

For a second, Nini lets herself fall into him.

“Well, you didn’t make a move to invite her, so I did,” Gina chimes in.

“And I will be forever thankful for it,” Ricky grins, bending down to grab a soda out of the cooler near his feet, as the rest of the group continues their conversations separately. He settles into the chair Nini had been occupying and looks up at her, all puppy-dog eyes and curly hair and the sight of him takes her breath away. “How are you?” he asks.

Nini perches herself on the arm of the chair. “I’m okay. Thanks for your help with Big Red the other day, by the way. My bike runs super smooth,”

“Well, I’m glad,” he nudges his shoulder against her hip and the brief contact makes her head dizzy. “You’ve met everyone here?”

“Yeah, they’ve been really welcoming,” she smiles down at him, loses herself in his eyes for a moment. “My moms are here, too,”

Ricky lights up at that, his back straightening. “You don’t want to introduce me?”

“Um…am I supposed to?”

He feigns shock, before leaning back into his chair. “I just thought you’d want them to meet the guy who singlehandedly saved you,”

“From a flat bicycle tire?”

Ricky laughs and it’s the most beautiful sound in the world and Nini can feel herself getting swept further and further away – it’s dangerous and she’s trying her hardest to plant both feet on the ground.

“Fair enough,” he concedes. “Have you checked out the stalls and stuff they have on the course yet?”

“Not really,”

“Ah, so you haven’t tasted Hawk Ridge’s famous maple floss,” Ricky muses and stands up, holding out his hand for her to take. “Come on – I promised that you were going to fall in love with Sawyer Island and step one is maple floss,” he quirks an eyebrow and it’s all so damn charming, she can’t help but fall for it.

So she slides her hand in his, as he rattles off a goodbye to the rest of the group and they make their way towards the course. The night air settles around them, a little muggy and a little cool, and a shiver runs up her spine, but she’s not sure if it’s from the weather or from being in close proximity to Ricky Bowen. He’s like magic, everybody seems to know him and he stops several times to give a quick hug and say hello. She’s in awe at how easygoing he is and she wants to be that way, so much.

“ _This_ is maple floss!” Ricky announces with a flourish, as they come to a stop at a brightly lit stall. The scent of sugar immediately hits Nini and it’s like her senses shift into overdrive.

“Cotton candy?” she asks, peering over the counter at the machine.

“Essentially, yeah. But they make it with maple, so it tastes a million times better,” Ricky grins, nodding at the vendor and fishing out his wallet. He quickly buys one and they make their way further out onto the course, finding a quiet spot between a fortune-teller and a cookie dough stall.

Nini eyes him skeptically, holding back a laugh at how excited he is, then plucks a small piece from the cotton candy and pops it into her mouth. It dissolves immediately, coating her tongue.

“So, what do you think?” Ricky prompts, taking a piece for himself. “It’s better than cotton candy, right?”

“It’s…yeah, you’re right,” she gives in and bursts into giggles when Ricky pumps his fist in the air triumphantly. “Who knew maple syrup could make something that much better?”

“Gina’s mom, apparently. They introduced it when they inherited Hawk Ridge,” he explains. “So how’s Sawyer Island so far? Living up to your standards?”

“Exceeding it, thanks to this,” she gestures towards the maple floss. “Honestly, though? It’s growing on me. The island’s beautiful and I think my moms really like it – it’s a nice change,”

“Have you been out on the water yet?”

Nini shakes her head. “Just dangled my feet off the docks, that’s all,”

“Well, that’s another thing to cross of the list. And I know just the right captain,”

“You can steer a boat?”

Ricky groans and moves to stand next to her, leaning against one of the poles that’s holding up the fortune teller stall. “Anybody can steer a boat, Nini,” he says. “I can _captain_ one,”

“Of course you can,” she rolls her eyes at him.

They stand like that for a while, shoulders touching, and it’s easy and blissful and quiet, until he gets a text on his phone. Ricky studies it for minute, before tucking it back into his pocket, and Nini can sense the tension that suddenly appears in his shoulders. She wants to ask him what’s wrong, but she’s not sure if they’re there yet – would she be over-stepping?

“Let’s head back,” he says, finally. “The fireworks are about to start and I know the best view,” he pushes himself off the stall and surprisingly, slips his hand over hers. It’s warm and comforting and familiar and Nini has to remind herself again that she’s only known him for a week.

It can’t be this good, this easy, this fast, can it?

She follows his lead and they walk past all the vendors, through the course and back up into the gardens. They pass the group at the fire pit, waving at them from a distance, and then head into the main house and up the stairs.

“Are we allowed to be up here?” she asks when they finally reach the third floor landing. It’s dark and a little creepy, if she’s being honest. The walls are filled with bookshelves and portraits and she can feel their eyes on her, even as she moves.

“Probably not,” Ricky grins cheekily and she just knows he’ll be the death of her. They enter a bedroom and he quickly finds a latch behind the bookshelf, which swings open and reveals a set of stairs heading up.

“This is where you kill me, isn’t it?” she asks, taking a tentative step up, while he guides her carefully.

“I promise I won’t kill you,”

“Chivalry at its finest. Do I open this?” Nini taps the hatched door above her head and at his cue, she slides it open, letting in a burst of cool, night air. “Oh my god, we’re on the roof!” she scrambles out from the staircase, steadying herself against the slight wind that’s picking up. It’s a vast amount of space, with deck chairs lined up and even a telescope in one corner. Nini takes a look over the railing – down below, the party-goers look like ants.

Ricky chuckles at her amazement and goes to stand next to her, nudging his shoulder against hers. “You can see all the way past the golf courses on this side, which is where the fireworks will be,” he points out. “And you can see everything from the front of the house, too, even the Main Street,”

“This is incredible. But seriously…are you sure we’re allowed up here?”

“Like I said, probably not. I think Gina knows I’ve snuck up here once or twice, but she doesn’t really care,” he laughs. 

“We’re going to get in trouble, aren’t we?”

“Come on – live a little,”

Nini turns to face him and he’s all smiles and messy, curly hair that’s getting tugged on by the wind and she briefly wonders if this is where she’s meant to be all along – here, on a rooftop in Sawyer Island, waiting to watch the fireworks with a boy she’s only meet a few days ago.

“So…do you take all your music store customers here?”

Ricky snorts and shakes his head, and the expression on his face turns thoughtful. “You would be the first,”

His words land softly and when he looks down at her, just like that, Nini actually feels _seen_. It’s jarring, but she decides she likes it, likes that Ricky Bowen can see beyond the surface of whatever insecure mess she is. His eyes feel like they’re focused on her and her alone and she can feel her heart beating out of her chest.

In the distance, someone makes an announcement that the fireworks will start in one minute, but Nini can’t tear her eyes away from Ricky’s. And then, subtly and slowly, he takes her hand, intertwines his fingers with hers and then the fireworks go off and Nini can feel it all rush through her, feels this moment burst into colors across the glittering night sky.

 _‘Ricky Bowen is magic,’_ she thinks.


	5. Of Boats and Brunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how I feel about this chapter, honestly. I think it’s a little stilted towards the end, but here it is anyway! I do like that the plot is moving along and we’re getting to explore more of what goes on in Nini’s head. ALSO. If you didn’t know, I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from Outer Banks (not the plot obviously, but the setting) and what a lovely surprise to find out that Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline are dating in real life. John B and Sarah Cameron 4ever, guys. It’s holding me over until we get this show back (which is when?! I need more Ricky/Nini scenes).
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think of this! :)

“You don’t get seasick, do you? I probably should have asked you that before I invited you, huh?”

Nini is sitting on the left side of the boat – or what she’s been told is called the port side – and her face is turned up to the sun, letting the rays cast over her face. They’re still tied to the dock and Ricky is doing a double check that they have everything they need, making sure they’ll be safe out on the water. It’s still early, but the sun is relentless and Nini can already start to feel beads of sweat against her forehead.  
  
“This is hardly the wide open sea, but it’s fine, I’m okay on boats,” she grins, taking a sip of the iced coffee she managed to smuggle onboard.  
  
If there’s one thing Ricky’s learned from waking her up at 8 am to get on a boat it’s that she’s not a morning person at all. “I just don’t want to deal with you throwing up,”  
  
“I’ll be fine,” she insists. “So, who else are waiting on?”  
  
Ricky tugs on a piece of rope and slides his sunglasses back on, coming over to sit across from her. “Ashlyn, Gina, EJ, and Big Red – which is going to be hilarious, because Red doesn’t do to well on the water. Or in the sun,” he adds with a chuckle.  
  
And then, as if on cue, the group comes strolling down the deck, already loud and arguing and it’s absolute chaos getting into the boat. In the end, she’s squeezed between Ashlyn and Gina, Big Red across from her, and Ricky and EJ at the wheel. They pull out from the dock and within minutes, they’re coasting, sun sparkling across the waters.  
  
There’s a slight breeze, which Nini is grateful for, and they start talking about their favorite movies, then TV shows, and before she knows it, EJ announces they’re dropping the anchor. The boys immediately launch themselves into the water and Gina follows quickly. The four of them splash in the water and Ashlyn leans over to hand them several drinks, before she settles down next to Nini again.  
  
“And for the next few hours, this is what we do,” she sighs.  
  
“It is kind of a perfect summer vacation,” Nini agrees, grabbing a soda from the cooler that EJ brought. “How often do you guys do this?”  
  
“Whenever we can, but Mr. Bowen’s kind of a hard-ass when it comes to using the boat. And for good reason – Ricky and Big Red aren’t exactly the most responsible together,” Ashlyn laughs. “It helps that EJ basically grew up on a boat though, so at least he knows what he’s doing,”  
  
Nini giggles, takes another sip of her soda, and lets her gaze wander over to the water, where Ricky floats on an inflatable tube, his curly hair matted to his forehead. The sun hits him in all the right places, dips into the curves of his muscles, and he looks like he’s glowing. It’s peaceful, watching him like this, all long lines and new, and maybe her eyes linger a little longer than they’re supposed to.  
  
She snaps out of her little daydream when Ashlyn clears her throat. “Sorry, what was that?”  
  
“Hey, you wouldn’t be the first girl to fall for the Bowen charm, believe me,” she jokes and pushes her sunglasses up onto her head, straightening herself so that she’s facing Nini. “I’m glad you guys met, by the way. I don’t think I ever told you that,”  
  
Nini takes a deep breath, then exhales. She’s not sure where Ashlyn’s going with this and she really doesn’t want to get into a serious conversations about her feelings – especially when she doesn’t know what they are yet. She especially doesn’t know how to have this conversation with someone who’s obviously close to Ricky.  
  
But Ashlyn just presses on, as if she wasn’t expecting Nini to answer anyway. “It’s just…Ricky’s kind of hard to get through. He doesn’t let a lot of people in and he definitely doesn’t just introduce them to anyone. I mean, it took a while before any of us even met each other, even. The only thing we had in common was Ricky,”  
  
“I didn’t know that,” Nini chimes in, pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth to chew on it nervously.  
  
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s great one-on-one. He’s just really protective of his relationships and…God, I hope this doesn’t scare you off or anything, but the fact that you’re here? It’s big. _Good_ big. He’s willing to let you in and with everything he’s got going on…yeah, it’s definitely good,”  
  
Nini gulps, suddenly hit with an overwhelming need to hug Ashlyn. “I didn’t think it was such a big deal,”  
  
“No, like, it isn’t supposed to be – this is all totally normal, I promise. It’s just a little extraordinary that Ricky is introducing us to someone new, that’s all,” Ashlyn backtracks a little, her voice dropping down to a soft whisper.  
  
“It means he thinks you’re extraordinary, too,”

* * *

Nini leans her head against the window, watching the trees and open fields pass. The sun is slowly beginning to set, transforming the sky into a watercolor painting of fiery reds and burned oranges, and sitting next to her in the driver’s seat, Ricky clears his throat. She turns towards him, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as her slightly sunburned shoulder rubs against the seatbelt.  
  
“I had fun today,” she murmurs.  
  
“Told you – the real Sawyer Island’s not bad,” Ricky chuckles. Nini nods in agreement, her lips curling into a soft smile. Her entire body feels like jelly, the after-effects of being out on the water finally starting to hit her. She feels sun-kissed and lazy, just like the sky above her and she’s so tired, she could fall asleep right there. But then Ricky’s talking about the outdoor cinema next week and he turns up the radio just as a Lorde song comes on and her heart is full.  
_  
She_ feels full.  
  
He cruises into her driveway and kills the engine, the silence enveloping them. It’s comfortable and easy and she sneaks a peek at him from under her eyelashes and he’s just so beautiful. _‘We’re friends,’_ she reminds herself, but it’s getting harder to remember that, especially when he’s looking at her too, like she’s something he’s finally found. The air between them is thick, palpable, and then Ricky bites his bottom lip and Nini wants to end it all, right then and there.  
  
She almost does, until her phone rings, loud and jarring. She curses at the interruption and it’s just Mama D, who wants to know if she’ll be home in time for dinner. When Nini says she’s in the driveway, it takes less than a minute for her moms to come out. They finally meet Ricky, shake his hand, make a joke about how he’s turning into quite the reliable chauffeur and Ricky is devastatingly charming, all polite smiles and greetings and every other sentence ends with a courteous _‘ma’am.’_ Nini roll her eyes, but it also makes her heart burst.  
  
“Ricky, why don’t you come over for brunch tomorrow? We’d love to get to know you better – and you can bring your dad, too,” Mama C asks and Nini’s eyes grow wide with fear. It’s one thing to meet her moms, it’s another thing for her to meet his father.  
  
Unsurprisingly, Ricky doesn’t miss a beat. “I’d love to, that’s great! Thanks for the invite,” he grins.  
  
When her moms finally head back into the house to let them say goodbye to each other, Nini turns to face Ricky, one hand on her hip, head cocked to one side. “Well, that was…something,”  
  
“Sorry,” Ricky grins again and she hates that it makes her weak in the knees. “I’m not going to say no!”  
  
Nini laughs and she knows this, because she feels like she knows Ricky well enough now, knows how much he likes to please people. “Just…don’t be late,”  
  
“I would never!”  
  
He reaches behind him then, his hand disappearing into his car for a second, before bringing out her sunglasses she had left behind. Then, tentatively, carefully, he takes a step towards her and Nini feels her heart in her throat. He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and places the sunglasses on top of her head and he’s so close, she can smell his sunscreen, the water, the sweet, sticky Sprite on his skin. She can hear his heart beating through his shirt and she wants to reach up and run her fingers through his hair, but they’re in her driveway and a small part of her brain can’t help but wonder if her moms are still spying on her.  
  
So instead, mustering up every inch of courage she has in her, she stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips to his cheek. Nini doesn’t trust herself to look into his eyes when she pulls away, so she smiles, turns, and heads back inside.  
  
She doesn’t look back until she hears his car pulling out of the driveway. 

* * *

On Sunday morning, five minutes before the Bowens are supposed to arrive, Nini is trying her best to convince her moms that Ricky is just a friend. It doesn’t help that she keeps blushing every time she thinks about his fingertips just barely grazing her cheek, or how his skin felt under her lips – it’s all a little too much. Mama C just smiles at her knowingly and she hates that she can’t keep a straight face.  
  
But then the doorbell rings and Ricky walks in with his father, both of them looking a little out of place and sleepy. Mike Bowen is just as awkward and charming as his son and Nini’s moms take to him almost immediately. He shakes Nini’s hand and says he’s excited to finally meet the girl Ricky can’t stop talking about and her cheeks flush, a cross between a cough and a laugh gets caught in her throat.  
  
It’s all a little too real.  
  
“Wow, this looks amazing!” Mike says, taking a seat across from Mama C. “Our breakfast usually consists of toast and cereal,”  
  
“Sometimes it's _just_ cereal, if he burns the toast,” Ricky jokes. He sits in front of Nini and she’s wondering if she’s going to be able to get through brunch being this close to him. But there are worse things to look at, so she takes her seat across from him, immediately nudges her ankle against his.  
  
“Well, you’re always welcome at our breakfasts. We tend to go overboard,” Mama D passes the bread basket around and for the next few minutes, brunch goes smoothly. Mike asks about their time in Chapel Hill, they talk about the events and activities that Sawyer Island has to offer (Ricky taps his ankle against Nini’s twice at that), and even about returning to the island next summer.  
  
But then Mama D finally asks about Mrs. Bowen and Nini can sense, even from across the table, Ricky’s shoulders tensing.  
  
“Lynne’s in Chicago. She has some work to finish up…she’s never been one for island life really,” he clears his throat. After a beat, he adds, “Actually, Lynne and I…are separated,”  
  
Ricky’s fork clatters against his plate and he mumbles an apology, runs a hand through his curls. The silence in the dining room is loud and heavy and Nini desperately wants to reach out to Ricky. But she’s not sure how – none of her friends have families that are fractured and she doesn’t know how to talk about it in this way, at least not with the adults around.  
  
Luckily, Mama C manages to steer the conversation to something else entirely, she makes a comment about bagels and the rest of them willingly go with it. It’s a little awkward and Nini can tell that Ricky’s still a little shaken up, but for the next hour, it’s as if it never happened at all.  
  
When her moms and Mike stay in the kitchen to pack up the rest of the food, Nini gestures for Ricky to follow her outside onto their back deck. The water stretches miles and miles ahead of them and Nini remembers being out there, feeling the wind in her hair. It had felt free, but she feels that way now too, standing next to Ricky. He’s still all tense shoulders and furrowed brow, the worry in his eyes still there from when they spoke about his mom.  
  
Without thinking too much about it, Nini places her hand over his, as they lean against the railing. “Hey,” she whispers and he turns to face her. “Sorry about earlier. My mom didn’t have to bring that up,”  
  
Ricky shakes his head and lets out a breath. “No, no, it wasn’t…it’s no one’s fault. Well, except my mom’s,” he scoffs, a semblance of a smile on his lips. “I’m not good at it, that’s all. Dealing with the fact that they’re actually…you know,”  
  
“Separated?”  
  
He lets out another shaky breath and turns his body so that he’s leaning against the railing with his back to the water, his arms crossed. “It’s stupid, you know? I’m old enough to know that not all marriages last, but I just never imagined…or I never thought about…the fact that _my_ parents might not last. They went to therapy, before we came out here. And Mom was supposed to come out, but then she says she has to be in Chicago and like…she’s an _interior designer_. There’s no decorating emergency, believe me,” Ricky rolls his eyes.  
  
Nini nods, a little unsure of where he’s going with this, but she doesn’t want him to stop talking, either.  
  
“I don’t want it to be this big, defining thing, but I don’t know how it won’t be,” he murmurs, then shakes his head, as if trying to get out of his own thoughts. “Anyway, I’m sorry about all this – I didn’t want to ruin brunch or anything,”  
  
She laughs a little, pushes herself off the railing and stands in front of him. “You didn’t ruin anything, I promise you. My moms can be a little over the top, but you and your dad being here…we really appreciate it,” Nini places both her hands on his arms and they both startle a little at the contact, but she doesn’t move.  
  
She likes this, she realizes. Back in Chapel Hill, Nini was never the person her friends confided in. They never turned to her for advice, never leaned on her for anything, and in return, Nini never asked them for help, either. When rumors would spread about her moms, she kept quiet, turned inwards, and never found much support from her friends. But here, on the back deck of a rented house on Sawyer Island, Nini finds that comfort is comforting – she likes supporting someone, likes the feeling of being able to hold someone’s head up when they’re too tired, likes that she can care so much about another person.  
  
“You know you can always talk to me, right?” she whispers and Ricky’s gaze focuses on her and she’s brought back to yesterday, in the driveway, and she wants to know what his lips feel like on hers, wants to know how his hands will fit around her waist.  
  
_‘Friends, Nini…friends,’_ she reminds herself.  
  
But at this point, even her inner voice knows she’s lying to herself.


	6. Jump, then Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I’m not a big fan of this chapter, except for the last part. You’ll see why! That was super fun to write. 
> 
> Hope y’all like this! Let me know what you think :)

When Nini turned twelve, her moms insisted that a sleepover with the girls from school was the best way to celebrate. They had done makeovers, watched a horror movie, and stayed up late talking – by all accounts, it was a pretty successful sleepover. But all Nini remembers is the breath of relief she had taken after the girls left. It wasn’t that she didn’t like any of them – some of the girls turned out to be her close friends as she got older – but she just didn’t do well in large, social gatherings.

_‘I’m better now, though,’_ she thinks to herself, locking her bike in the Hawk Ridge Country Club parking lot and jogging up the steps to the main house. She follows the signs towards the Magnolia Room and when she reaches the giant oak doors, Nini takes a deep breath to steady herself. When she was twelve, the idea of spending a whole night with a group of girls was terrifying. But tonight, she’ll be in good company – technically, company she had only met a week ago, but it doesn’t feel scary or intimidating this time. It feels right.   
  
With a shake of her hands to get the nerves out, Nini knocks on the door once, twice.   
  
“You made it!”   
  
The double doors fling open and Gina is standing there in basketball shorts and a tank top, her hair piled up, tendrils framing her bare face. The room behind her is huge, the entire floor covered in pillows and blankets and mattresses. There’s a projector set up in one corner and the fairy lights that hang from the ceiling casts a glow over the room, mirroring the sun that’s setting – which Nini can see from the large windows that take up nearly half a wall.   
  
“Hi!” she smiles and Gina pulls her in for a hug and yeah, Nini can get used to this.   
  
When Gina had invited her for a sleepover, she had been skeptical and worried about spending a night with people she barely knew. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. If this summer on Sawyer Island has any chance of changing her life, she knows she needs to take risks. So when Nini walks into Magnolia Room, she makes a point to hug everyone in there – Ashlyn, Seb, and Kourtney, who she hasn’t seen since the Hawk Ridge party last week. She settles in comfortably, leans against the fluffy pillows and in seconds, she finds herself stuck in a conversation about Broadway musicals and movie adaptations. Gina returns with pizza and Kourtney pulls out a pack of sheet masks and they leave The Haunting of Hill House playing on the projector and it feels exactly like her twelfth birthday, minus the crippling anxiety.   
  
“So, Nini, I heard you went out on HMS Bowen the other day,” Seb asks, his face lifted so that his sheet mask stays in place. “How was it? Did Ricky run over a sand bank? Because he did that when I was on the boat once and I nearly went overboard,”   
  
“Oh, that was two summers ago, get over it,” Kourtney points out.   
  
“I could’ve died!”   
  
Nini grins. “It was fine, EJ took the wheel for the most part,”   
  
“And…? What else?”   
  
“What do you mean?” Nini shrugs her shoulders and it earns her a pillow to the face from Seb.   
  
“Come on, girlie! Give me something here,” he peels off his face mask to look at her. “Ricky can’t stop talking about you, you know. He kept asking Carlos for fashion advice before he went for brunch at your place the other day,”   
  
“He did not!” Nini blushes immediately and the rest of the group look at her with raised eyebrows. She knows she can’t keep a secret to save her life and despite the fact that she’s only known these people for a little over a week, she’s itching to talk about it. So she takes a deep breath and exhales, tries to ignore the voices in her head telling her to put her walls back up. “Ricky is…nice to be around,” she finally says, scrunching her nose at the way it sounds, because it doesn’t come close to what she’s thinking.   
  
“You like him though, right? I mean, it’s really obvious he likes you, by the way. Like, a lot,” Gina points out.   
  
“I do like him,” Nini starts. “But it’s also really soon? We’ve only known each other for about a week. And we’re only here for the summer, so it seems kind of ridiculous to get into something when we know it’s eventually going to end. Not that I want to get into something. I’m not sure,” she’s rambling and it’s making her cringe, but a quick glance around the room shows her that no one is rolling their eyes or acting disinterested. Instead, they’re all leaning forward and giving her all their attention – it almost brings tears to her eyes, because she’s pretty sure this is how it’s supposed to feel like with friends.   
  
Kourtney reaches over and pats Nini’s knee. “You could just have fun, you know,” she shrugs. “It doesn’t have to be a serious thing,”   
  
“And even if it does turn out to be a serious thing, is that so bad?” Gina asks.

"Well, I’m moving to Salt Lake City after the summer ends, so yeah, kind of. At least Chapel Hill’s closer to Chicago,” Nini’s voice breaks a little, because it’s the first time she’s really thought of it like that, the first time she can actually see images of Ricky and her driving back and forth between Chicago and Chapel Hill. “And it’s like I said – we’ve only really known each other for a week,”   
  
“That’s more than some people have in a lifetime,” Seb chimes in. “My advice? Jump in with both feet. It doesn’t have to be serious, it can be fun. You guys can spend the whole summer together and fall for each other and then figure out what happens later,”   
  
Ashlyn nods in agreement. “Take a leap of faith, Nini. Seb’s right, worst case scenario is that he turns out to be a summer fling, Besides, what’s that thing Ricky’s always saying?”   
  
“Live a little,” Gina whispers.   
  
Nini catches her eye and an understanding passes between them – it feels like Gina’s finally letting her in and vice versa. It’s a far cry from the first time they met, when all Nini felt was intimidated. Now, she feels like Gina gets it, that they get each other, and the entire realization is almost enough to knock Nini off her feet. If she can feel this much support and love and acceptance from a group of people she’s only met a week ago, then it isn’t completely crazy to feel that way about Ricky, is it? Gina shuffles over, throws an arm around Nini, and pulls her in for a side hug.   
  
Softly, she says, “Summer fling or not, he’s worth the risk,”

* * *

_What are you doing, like, right now?_  
  
The text message comes in when Nini’s stretched out on the couch, her legs dangling over the sofa arm and her head practically sinking into a pile of pillows. It’s the day after the sleepover at Hawk Ridge and she’s exhausted – they only managed to get a few hours of sleep in, before everybody left for their respective summer jobs and plans and if it’s up to Nini, she wants to spend the rest of her day sleeping. But seeing Ricky’s text light up her phone immediately makes her sit up, alert and suddenly very awake.   
  
_Crashing on the couch. Why…?_  
  
 _Wanna come over?_   
  
His response comes almost instantly and Nini stares at it, eyes wide. Her heart feels like it’s going to fall out of her body and dear God, she’s actually buzzing. It’s exciting and new and her mind thinks back to the conversation she had with Ashlyn, Gina, Kourtney, and Seb.   
  
_Sure._  
  
She’s going to jump in with both feet.   
  
Half an hour later, Nini locks her bike to the fence and looks up to see Ricky leaning against the door frame, all sun-kissed and beautiful. He pulls her into a hug like it’s the easiest thing in the world and then Nini realizes it’s the first time she’s seen the inside of the Bowen’s house. Unlike Nini and her moms, the Bowens actually own their place, a small beachfront property that comes with its own dock. The inside is cozy, a little less lived-in than she expected, but figures that’s because they only live there during the summers.   
  
Ricky intertwines his fingers with hers and they make their way downstairs into a basement turned activity and game room. There’s a pool table in one corner, a pinball machine, and a projector screen that talks up practically a whole wall.   
  
“Wow,” she’s a little breathless, both from being inside Ricky’s house to having his fingers tangled with hers – again, it all feels like a little too much.   
  
“Yeah, my dad kind of…redecorated,” he chuckles. Ricky flops down onto the couch and gestures for her to do the same. “How was last night, with everyone?”   
  
“It was a lot of fun,” Nini smiles and her cheeks immediately flush when she thinks about what they talked about. “I’m glad I met them,” she says.   
  
“Yeah, they’re pretty cool,”   
  
Nini nods and turns to look at him, knows that he’s looking right back at her. The earth moves a little, she thinks. “So – what did you call me over here for?” she asks.   
  
Ricky snaps his fingers and with a smirk, he reaches over the couch, bringing a guitar back with him. “This! You said you wanted to learn how to play guitar, right? Consider today your first lesson,”   
  
Nini stares back at him, slack-jawed. There’s a sparkle in his eyes and he bites his lip, like he’s nervously waiting for her to respond and she doesn’t think twice about it – Nini flings her arms around his neck and hugs him tight, sending him a little bit off balance. He puts down the guitar and wraps his arms around her waist, he’s laughing in her ear and she can feel him underneath her and she wants this, him, all of it. “Thank you,” Nini says breathlessly, letting go of him. “This is awesome!”   
  
Ricky grins and his cheeks are pink, which makes her smile. Then he clears his throat, hands her the guitar, and for the next hour, Nini learns all about guitar chords and comes away with the basic art of plucking.   
  
It’s hard to concentrate, though.   
  
The room isn’t blazing hot, but there’s only a ceiling fan for relief, and Ricky sits close enough that she can feel his skin tickling hers. When he first puts his fingers over hers to show her how to play C major, she nearly jumps from the sudden contact, but over time, she becomes attuned to how close or how far away he is. At one point, Nini can feel his breath ghost just over her bare shoulder and she nearly snaps a string.   
  
She stays for dinner with the Bowens, with Mike apologizing profusely that dinner is just Chinese takeout, but she loves it all the same. She eats eggrolls and dumplings on their back porch, the stars twinkling in the sky and the sound of water slowly lapping at the docks. Mike tells her stories of Ricky when he was younger and Ricky tells her stories of every time his dad nearly burns down the kitchen and it’s so easy, sitting here, feeling like she’s been a part of this for so long.   
  
It takes her a minute to realize that Mrs. Bowen should have been involved too, but she doesn’t say anything, doesn’t want Ricky’s eyes to turn dark the way they had during brunch with her family.   
  
They eat and read their fortune cookies, before Mike leaves them alone on the porch, heading inside to clean up. Ricky rests his elbows on his knees, turning a water bottle over and over again in his hands and a stray curl falls forward – Nini reaches out and pushes it back, stays there for a little longer, his cheek hot under her fingertips.   
  
He turns and looks at her and she’s breathless.   
  
“I’m glad I met you,” he whispers and Nini nods. “You know, this summer wasn’t supposed to be this different. Like, we were still supposed to come down to Sawyer Island and I’d still hang out with Big Red and everybody, but then…then mom says she can’t come down and it’s like everything flipped,”   
  
“I’m sorry about your mom,” she says in a small voice, trying to figure out if she’s going to be able to talk about this like a normal human being. “I can’t…I don’t know what that’s like,”   
  
“No, but it’s okay,” he sets his water bottle down and reaches over, turning her hand so he can trace the lines on her palm. “It flipped, but like, there are good things and bad things about that. Bad thing – mom’s not here. Good thing…you,” he grins and looks up at her, brown eyes sparkling with something Nini can feel in her veins.   
  
“Well…good,” she says, definitively, swallows down what she really wants to do, which is run her fingers through his curls and kiss him senseless. But Nini doesn’t know if this is the right time, doesn’t know what the right time would even look like, and the way his fingers trace her palms make her weak in the knees.   
  
Her phone pings then and she sneaks a peek, groans when she sees it’s Mama C. “I should get going,” she whispers and Ricky nods, slides his fingers between hers, pulls her up to standing position.   
  
He doesn’t let go until they’re standing at her bike. Ricky checks that her lights work, manages to scrounge up an LED armband from the garage that barely fits her, but the gesture is sweet and she decides she likes being taken care of sometimes. When he grabs her wrist and pulls her into a hug, she also decides that it feels like home. She can feel his breath on her hair, can feel the way his fingers dig into her back, and it feels familiar, like her whole life was building up to this moment in Ricky’s arms.   
  
She wonders if this is the right time to find out how his lips feel underneath hers, wonders if the moonlight that falls over his features is the perfect backdrop. Ricky loosens his grip, but keeps her in his hold still and when she looks up at him, the tip of his tongue rests at the corner of his mouth. The soft breeze in the night air pulls at his curls and his fingers trace her jawline and she shivers under his touch. They’re close, closer than they’ve ever been, and she doesn’t breathe, scared that if she does, it’ll break whatever’s happening between them.   
  
“Nini,” he whispers, tipping her chin up, and she feels herself fall apart.   
  
_‘He’s worth the risk.’_  
  
Nini lifts herself up on her tiptoes, slides a hand around his neck, pulls him down to her and slowly, slowly, slowly, presses her lips to his. It’s short, sweet, and he tastes like Coke and fortune cookies. She tugs a little at his curls and a little sigh escapes his mouth and she can feel him smile against her lips and she decides he’s definitely – _definitely_ – worth the risk.


	7. Fever Dream High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning – this is a filler chapter. I wanted to write a montage-esque chapter and this is what came out of my brain. Also, “fever dream” features pretty heavily and I’m not really sure why, but it seemed to fit. Lol.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think! I need the second season badly, guys.

The next few weeks feel like a fever dream.   
  
Nini wakes up, drinks coffee and has breakfast with her moms, spends hours on her ukulele or in the pool or writing music. When he’s not working at the music store, Ricky picks her up at 9 am sharp and they spend the day together, before saying goodbye through kisses that taste like the sea and surf.   
  
It’s easy, she thinks. Not just being with Ricky, but in this world. Sawyer Island feels more and more like home, she notices it when she spends nights at Gina’s, days in Ashlyn’s backyard, when she goes shopping in town with Kourtney. Seb and Carlos take her hiking and EJ teaches her the basics of boating. Days pass slowly, easily, lazily – and then night comes and everything feels like it’s on fire when her limbs are tangled with Ricky’s, when she feels his curls in the spaces between her fingers.   
  
It all feels like a fever dream. 

* * *

On a gloomy Thursday morning, they take the Bowen’s boat out on the water and Nini takes the wheel, quickly putting her newfound knowledge to good use. EJ’s taught her enough about boats to be able to impress Ricky, but she lets him drop the anchor and within minutes, they’re bobbing steadily in the marsh.   
  
“Okay, so have you ever fished before?” Ricky asks, eyes bright. When Nini shakes her head, he jumps up and reaches for a fishing pole stashed underneath the seat. “Well, today’s the day you’re going to learn!”   
  
“Or you can fish and I can just watch?” she’s joking, but laughs anyway at Ricky’s obvious disappointment, before taking the fishing pole from him. “I’m kidding – show me what to do, Captain,”   
  
He grins and Nini feels her insides light up with how warm he is, startles slightly at his fingers over hers. He gently guides her through the motions, lingers a little longer than necessary at her hips, pressing a kiss to the space just below her jawline and it makes Nini melt. Half an hour later, when she has the basics down, she throws out her first line and they wait. Ricky kicks open the cooler, takes out a sparkling water for them to share. They sit and talk about school, life, and their parents. He’s still quiet about his mom, but she fills the silence with stories about Chapel Hill and how she’s starting to feel more and more prepared for Salt Lake City. He has an arm around her shoulders, rubs his thumb over the back of her hand and she wonders when her life suddenly started to feel like a movie. Her heart feels open and willing and it feels like she’s standing at the edge of a cliff, adrenaline coursing through her body, terrified and excited at the same time.   
  
They don’t catch any fish that day, but Ricky lets her steer the boat back into the Bowen’s dock, cheers when she does it right the first time. He drives them to lunch at a place called Hudson’s, which overlooks the water, and they order too much food for two people. Her ankle grazes against his under the table and she apologizes for it. Then it happens again and she doesn’t flinch and they spend the rest of lunch wrapped up like that.   
  
He drives her home and they sit on the front porch, eating ice cream that melts almost the minute she pulls it out from the fridge. Ricky gets it all over the corners of his mouth and Nini kisses them away, smiles against his skin when she feels him shiver under her. He tastes like vanilla and the sea and she’s buzzed off the summer sun, and it all feels like a fever dream. 

* * *

Sometimes Nini spends an entire afternoon at the Bowen’s, especially when her moms are busy working or entertaining their out-of-town friends. Ricky lets her stretch out on their couch, legs tucked under a blanket because the house always runs colder than normal. They watch movies and sports, argue over what’s better to - football or tennis. Nini learns that he’s on the basketball team back in Chicago and he teaches her how to shoot three-pointers in their backyard. There are more guitar lessons and Nini learns how to play an old Taylor Swift song in two days.   
  
Sometimes Ricky spends an entire morning at the Salazar-Roberts’, especially when his dad is working or if he’s just bored. Her moms feed him everything, make him taste test new recipes, and introduce him to _lumpia_ and _halo-halo_ , which he insists is better than ice cream. Ricky offers to fix up the old boat in the garage and after checking with the owners for their go-ahead, that’s where he spends most of his time. Nini joins him, sits on the workbench and keeps him company. Sometimes she plays the ukulele, other times she’s quietly reading – either way, she orbits around him, likes seeing him in her line of vision. He works quick with his fingers, sweat dripping off his curls, and he’s better at fixing up boats than he is driving them.   
  
That comment earns her a spray of water to the face and she squeals, but then he’s kissing her and she’s kissing him back and it’s all too much and not enough at the same time. 

* * *

On some nights, they decide to go for dinner with the rest of their friends and it’s generally a revolving door of Kourtney, Gina, Ashlyn, EJ, Seb, and Carlos – but if Ricky is there, so is Nini and vice versa.   
  
He picks her up after his shift at Idlewild Music on a Friday night and they go to The Backyard, where they meet the rest of their friends. It’s karaoke night, which means Kourtney has already signed the girls up for a performance of a Britney Spears song and EJ is desperately avoiding the stage. Nini shivers and Ricky automatically slides an arm around her shoulders, drops a kiss to her head.   
  
She tucks herself in and looks around at the table – people she barely knew a month ago are now some of her best friends. They have inside jokes together, can communicate with just one look, and she doesn’t understand how this place can feel like home in just a few weeks. She’s lived in Chapel Hill her whole life and it’s never felt this good or this right. The girls sing their hearts out and Gina drags EJ onstage and by the end of the night, there are thousands of pictures of EJ Caswell sporting a bright pink feather boa and trying to floss.   
  
The night ends with the group tumbling out of the restaurant, loudly talking over each other, arms and legs all tangled, and it feels like a movie, the way they’ve all found a common connection. As everybody peels off from the group, Ricky drives Nini up Palmetto Drive and they park in reverse so they can sit in the bed of his truck. She jokes that it’s all a cliché, but he just grins and makes a remark about it being romantic, and kisses her.   
  
She’s leaning against his chest, tracing the lines on his palms, and looking out at the island all lit up below them, when he mumbles something, muffled against her hair.   
  
“What was that?”   
  
Ricky lifts his head and sighs. “I was just thinking about all of this – summer and Sawyer Island and how it’s so different this year,”   
  
“Good different or bad different?”   
  
“Good,” Ricky smiles, even though she can’t see it. “Really good,”   
  
Nini shifts then, bringing herself up to hug her knees to her chest. “So why the long face?”   
  
“I’m…contemplating,” he chuckles, reaches out to twist the ends of her hair. “It’s weird, I’ve been coming to Sawyer Island for years – I just never thought that this year might be the last,”   
  
“Why would this summer be your last one here?”   
  
“Senior year. Next summer it’ll be all about moving on to college. It all seems to come at you pretty fast,”   
  
“Life?”   
  
Ricky pauses, then gives a definitive nod. “Life.”   
  
She smiles at him, traces his jawline gently, briefly wonders when it was that she’s become so comfortable feeling him underneath her skin. “Can I tell you something?”   
  
“Of course,”   
  
Nini takes a deep breath and exhales, propping her chin on her knees. “I’ve lived in Chapel Hill my whole life, it’s always been home. But after coming here and meeting Gina, Kourtney, Seb…meeting you…I’m realizing that Chapel Hill never really felt like home at all. It’s like, I have friends - and then there’s you guys,”   
  
“You mean this band of misfits?”   
  
She laughs at that, takes his hand in hers and intertwines their fingers. “You guys feel more than just friends. It’s like I’ve known all of you my whole life and I don’t know how that happened. I mean, how could a few weeks in Sawyer Island give me a whole new perspective on what home and friends and family are – but seventeen years in Chapel Hill couldn’t? And when I move to Salt Lake, is that what it’s going to be like?”   
  
“Does it feel like practice, though? Like you’ll be more prepared for Salt Lake, when the time comes?”   
  
Nini nods, a little more enthusiastically, this time. “Before I came here, I was this complete and total like, non-social person. Like, I didn’t know how to make friends, I was awkward with meeting new people…I never had to, you know? But then Sawyer Island happened and I feel at home and it makes me a little excited for what Salt Lake City could bring – and believe me, I was never excited about moving to Utah,” she scoffs. “But now? Now I kind of am. I want to join the drama club or take guitar lessons or join the school paper – it just doesn’t feel as scary anymore,”   
  
Ricky smiles softly at her, tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and it’s like something between them changes. He moves a little closer and she leans in, until their foreheads touch. “You’re going to do amazing things, you know,” he whispers.   
  
She can feel the night around them, the sticky heat against her skin, the sounds of a small town slowly whirring down in the distance. The lights still shine from up here and Nini feels like the possibilities are endless, even though she’s sitting curled up in the bed of a boy’s truck, cocooned and safe.   
  
“ _You’re_ amazing,” she says softly and they both laugh, because it all seems a little ridiculous.   
  
And then Ricky’s pulling her close and then he’s everywhere, chasing every kiss with a touch - and it all feels like a fever dream.


	8. Teen Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up! This is a little angsty, but I really like the development one character in particular. Also, I don’t feel like I’m great at writing conflict, so let me know what you think?
> 
> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own anything. Otherwise, I’d already have Season 2 of HSMTMTS. :)

“Are you ready for a night of teenage debauchery?” Gina asks, leaning forward to apply a coat of mascara to her already long lashes. Behind her, Nini is still in a towel, sitting in front of two outfit choices and struggling to make a decision.

“It can’t be that bad,”   
  
Gina scoffs and turns around to face Nini. “It’s not bad, it’s just not exactly…”   
  
“Hawk Ridge?” Nini chuckles.   
  
“Exactly. Ditch the fancy and be prepared for rowdy, is all I’m saying. The last time, some tourist ended up getting into a fight with one of the country club staff…it was a mess,” Gina smacks her lips and comes over to inspect Nini’s outfit choices. “Shorts and a tanktop,” she says definitively and Nini rolls her eyes, but puts them on anyway.   
  
Twenty minutes later, they’re in EJ’s car, driving down a road that runs parallel to the water and they roll down the windows, the ocean air filling their lungs. It feels like a movie, like they should be sticking their heads out of the sunroof and screaming at the top of their lungs, magical and surreal at the same time. EJ pulls the car into an empty spot and they climb out, the music from the beach already loud. Nini spots Kourtney and Ashlyn hanging out underneath a low hanging tree and she runs to catch up to them, losing EJ and Gina in the throng of people.   
  
“Welcome to your very first night of Sawyer Island shenanigans!” Carlos cries, hopping off the tree branch to hug her. “Who’d you come with?”   
  
“EJ and Gina, but they’re…” Nini waves her hand back at the crowd, where they’ve both been swallowed up by party-goers.   
  
“Ah, yes, the king and queen of the island are greeting all their royal subjects,” he grins and then shoves a red cup into Nini’s hand.   
  
She swirls it a little hesitantly – it’s not that she doesn’t drink at all, she just doesn’t do it very often. In Chapel Hill, she had gone to a few parties, but her friends were mostly drama nerds who spent their nights watching Rent instead of trying to find a keg. But Sawyer Island is different and she feels different here – invincible, loved, brave. So she takes a tentative sip and tries to hold back a wince as the beer goes down her throat.   
  
“And you’ve officially been initiated!” Carlos exclaims and gives her a hug.   
  
She laughs and this feels good, surrounded by people she genuinely likes. She gets pulled into a small dance circle with Kourtney and Ashlyn, giggles over seeing EJ and Gina greet their other friends with reverence – even though Carlos was joking, it does seem like they take on the role of king and queen pretty well. The night gets darker and the stars come out to play and Nini finds herself in the middle of a competitive game of cornhole, yelling and laughing with people who she barely knows. It’s a far cry from Chapel Hill Nini, that’s for sure.   
  
An hour later, she hops up on to the tree branch next to Seb and leans against him, her thoughts whirring, a little dizzy from the alcohol and music. She’s not drunk, she thinks, but she’s definitely buzzed. It’s hot and muggy and she feels like she’s on fire, but in the best way possible.   
  
“Where’s Ricky tonight, by the way?” Seb asks, taking a strand of Nini’s hair to braid absentmindedly. “I haven’t seen him around,”   
  
“He had to have dinner with his dad first,” Nini pouts, suddenly realizing that it’s already 9 pm and Ricky still isn’t around. “He should be here already, though,”  
  
“Maybe he’s hanging out with EJ?” Seb suggests and Nini shakes her head because EJ is in her line of vision and he’s at the bonfire, Gina in his lap. “Or with Big Red?”   
  
“No, he’s talking to Ashlyn,” Nini points out and suddenly, her skin turns cold. Easing her hair out of Seb’s fingers, she hops off the branch and downs the remains of her beer. “I’m going to look for him,”   
  
“You want me to come with?”   
  
“No, it’s okay, you stay. I’ll…figure it out,” she says, determined. Nini tosses her empty cup into a nearby trash can and heads back up to the parking lot, where it’s significantly darker. Only a few street lamps are working and she’s suddenly incredibly aware that she’s alone, in an empty space, and slightly tipsy.   
  
_‘This is exactly how murders begin,’_ she thinks.   
  
Just as she’s about to just pull out her phone and call Ricky – she scolds herself for not thinking of it first – Nini hears a car door slam. She spins around and breathes a sigh of relief when she spots Ricky’s truck in the far corner, quickly making her way towards it. Sure enough, he’s leaning against the driver’s side, arms crossed, and head turned up to the night sky. Even in the dim moonlight, he’s breathtaking, tall and lithe, defined lines across his arms and she shivers, remembering how they wrap around her so completely and easily.   
  
“Hey, you,” she murmurs. Ricky’s head snaps forward and for a second, it throws Nini off-guard – she’s never seen that look in his eyes before; blazing, like the beginning flames of a fire that’s about to burn too close and too dangerously. His fingers clench around his arms and he lets out a heavy sigh and Nini almost backs away.   
  
“Hey,” his voice is curt, sharp, and it cuts like glass.   
  
“Um…are you okay?” she asks and immediately hates how small she feels, her soft her voice is.   
  
Ricky scoffs. “No, of course not,”   
  
“Oh. I’m…I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” she decides to take a small step towards him, but then Ricky is pushing himself off the car and reaching into the open window of the front seat. His hand comes back out with a small bottle of whiskey and anger immediately courses through Nini’s body. “Were you drinking and driving?”   
  
He shrugs and takes a long pull from the bottle and Nini’s never been so pissed off in her life. It’s so stupid and she’s furious. He’s late and shows up already drunk and he drove himself and it’s all spilling out of her mouth and suddenly Nini’s reaching for the bottle. Ricky holds it up above his head with a little chuckle and yeah, it’d cute, if he wasn’t reeking of alcohol and sweat and his eyes aren’t glassy and unfocused.   
  
This isn’t Ricky at all, at least not the one she knows.   
  
“Stop it!” she cries, taking a step back. Her mouth turns dry and she’s on the brink of tears, close to hysterical, but she doesn’t care. Nini understands wanting to be adventurous and risky, but she doesn’t understand being absolutely reckless.   
  
“Chill out, will you?” Ricky mumbles, takes another sip from the bottle, and Nini lunges forward, and snatches it out of his hand. He yelps and she takes another step back, avoiding his gaze, which feels like it’s burning into her skin. _‘  
  
It isn’t fair,’_ Nini thinks. She’s still a little tipsy, still a little unbalanced from the drinks she had on the beach, her thoughts all blurred from the crackling fire and pounding music. The last thing she wants to do is argue with Ricky, not when she was planning on spending the night wrapped in his arms, instead. She doesn’t want to be here, in a parking lot, arguing with him.   
  
“You’re drunk and you shouldn’t be driving and you shouldn’t have come in the first place,” she says, willing her voice to steady. “I’m getting someone to drive you home,”   
  
“No, you’re not,”   
  
“Well, you’re not staying here!” she cries, taking her phone out. Ricky immediately steps forward and places a hand over hers and she hates herself for melting a little at the feel of his skin on hers. But then he’s easing the phone out of her grip and she steels herself. “Ricky, you should go home and just sleep it off,”   
  
He shakes his head emphatically and through gritted teeth, he says, “I’m not going home,”   
  
“Well, then what are you going to do?” she demands, throwing her hands up exasperatedly.   
  
“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Be with you?”   
  
His voice is soft and his eyes droop a little and Nini’s heart aches – something isn’t right, but she doesn’t know what. All she knows is that he’s not going to be any better if he goes down to the beach and she doesn’t know how to fix this.   
  
It hits her then that with everything they know about each other, Nini doesn’t know how to do _this._   
  
And then suddenly, Ricky’s arms wrap around her waist, his head buried into her shoulder and he feels heavy and tired and Nini is so clearly out of her element. He’s leaving kisses up her neck and it’s sweet and soft, but she’s terrified – she could so easily tip the scales in his favor, just give up and give in and they’d probably find their way into the backseat of his car. But there’s a weird feeling in the pit of Nini’s stomach and she knows none of this feels right.   
  
So she eases herself out of his grasp and kisses him on the cheek, before she turns her back on him and dials Big Red’s number, trying to ignore the look of disbelief on Ricky’s face. 

* * *

“Let me drag him inside and then I’ll drive you home, okay?”   
  
They’re parked in the Redonovich’s driveway and it’s still pretty early, just a little shy of midnight. The house lights are off and it’s eerily quiet, but Nini prefers it this way.   
  
“Okay,” she replies softly, resting her head against the window. She closes her eyes, but she hears Big Red hopping out the car, opening up the backseat, and waking Ricky up. They stumble out and she opens her eyes in time to see them disappear through the front door, breathes a sigh of relief. Nini takes another deep breath and lets it out, tries her hardest not to think about the things Ricky said to her earlier. It isn’t him, she knows that – deep down, she knows that he’s acting out and that it stems from something else, but it doesn’t change the fact that it still stings.   
  
“Okay, let’s get you home,” Big Red is back in the driver’s seat and slowly pulls out of the driveway. He’s quiet too, she notices, thinks that he’s probably waiting for her to say something first. But even though Nini’s only known him for a short time, she knows he can’t keep quiet for long.   
  
“I know you’re itching to say something, so say it,” she makes the first move.   
  
“You’re not supposed to know me that well yet,” Big Red chuckles softly, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. “Look, I’m sorry you had to see Ricky like that. It must have been scary,”   
  
“It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure,”   
  
“He gets that way sometimes, it’s…it’s complicated,”   
  
Nini rolls her eyes. “Doesn’t change the fact that he still drove to the beach drunk, with half a bottle of whiskey in the front seat. Or that he raised his voice at me. Or that he called me a –”   
  
“Nini, he’s fragile,” Big Red chimes in. “I’m not saying that’s an excuse, but the reason he gets like this sometimes is…actually, I don’t know if I should be the one telling you this, it’s definitely his thing,”   
  
“Of course it is,” she scoffs, goes back to looking out the window.   
  
Big Red sighs and coasts to a stop at a red light, casting a look over at her. “Hey, are you hungry? Do you want to stop and grab something to eat?”   
  
She shrugs, then a few minutes later, notices that he’s pulling into the parking lot of a 24-hour diner, a little on the outskirts of the main street.   
  
“What is this place?” she asks, hopping out of the car.   
  
“Just a spot we usually end up at after parties and stuff. I think everybody’s still at the beach though, it’s still pretty early. Come on, they’ve got really good burgers,” Big Red locks the car and heads inside the restaurant.   
  
They settle into a vinyl booth and he pops a few quarters into the small jukebox on their table, letting a Bon Iver song filter through the speakers. A waitress named Mandy takes their orders and Nini lets Big Red order for her and then they sit in silence, at least until their food arrives.   
  
“Best burgers on Sawyer Island. After midnight, that is,” Red takes a huge bite and chews loudly. She sighs, plucks a fry off her own plate, and nibbles it. “Okay, let’s get into it,”   
  
Nini looks up and smiles a little. She’s not sure how she ended up here – but she finds herself pretty grateful for Red’s company. _‘Still, he has a point. Maybe it’s not his story to tell, maybe it does need to come from Ricky,’_ she thinks. And for the most part, it’s true. Whatever’s going on with Ricky clearly isn’t Big Red’s fault or responsibility.   
  
“Look, if it’s really something Ricky should be telling me himself…”   
  
“Oh, now you’re having second thoughts?!” Big Red laughs. “Look, he’ll tell you eventually, maybe this will help you guide him to it or something,”   
  
“I’m trying here,” Nini chuckles.   
  
Big Red pops a fry into his mouth and then leans back into the booth. “Alright, the reason why Ricky gets like this sometimes…more often than not…is because of his mom. And it just so happens that tonight, at dinner, his mom showed up,”   
  
Nini blinks and it feels like she’s been doused with ice-cold water. She doesn’t know a lot of about Ricky’s mom – he never talks about her and when he does, it’s always in passing. She figures it’s an off-limits subject and she doesn’t want to push him to talk about it if he’s not ready.   
  
And given the way he’s acted tonight, it’s clear he’s not ready.   
  
So Nini takes a sip of her Coke and rests her elbows on the table, taking deep, even breaths. “I’m an idiot,” she murmurs.   
  
Big Red shakes his head, nearly chokes on his fry. He pushes his plate to the side and meets her in the middle of the table. “No, this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Lynne, okay? She’s not the greatest parent, plain and simple. You have nothing to do with that,”   
  
“Yeah, but I didn’t help!”   
  
“How could you have helped, Nini?” he asks and she looks up at him, at his open, caring, soft face. Big Red can look goofy sometimes, but under the harsh, fluorescent lighting of the diner, Nini sees someone she can actually trust.   
  
“I could’ve been less…angry,” she shrugs.   
  
“Yeah, well, same goes for him,” Red chuckles and takes a long sip of Coke. “Ricky sometimes has a short temper, especially when it comes to his mom. Lynne tries her best, but like I said, she’s not the greatest parent. To be honest, I’m a little surprised – I figured you’d be a lot angrier at him,”   
  
“I want to be. But I also get it. I didn’t know his mom was in town and I wish he told me that earlier, or handled it better than he did. And I’m definitely angry at some of the stuff he said – ”   
  
“Like what?”   
  
“Oh. Umm…” Nini takes another deep breath and lets it out. The truth is, she’s not sure if this is something that really needs to be shared with Ricky’s best friend. But given the situation – and how forthcoming Big Red’s been – she figures it’s fine.   
  
“Ricky showing up drunk and driving there drunk and being mean was one thing. I mean, yeah, not happy about it. But he also called me…um, he also called me a turn-off,” Nini rushes out the last few words of her sentence in a small voice, but she knows Big Red hears her.   
  
His eyes grow wide and his jaw drops for a second, but then he frowns, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. “Oh my god, he’s a _moron_ ,” Big Red mutters.   
  
Nini scoffs then waves her hand dismissively. “It’s fine, it was in the heat of the moment, I had just called you and he was angry,”   
  
“Nope, don’t do that,” Big Red says. “Look, he’ll kill me for saying this, but…you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, Nini. He’s lucky you’re with him and if he’s got any common sense, he’ll realize that. He’ll apologize and you guys will talk it out and I know he’s being an idiot right now, but I guess…just don’t count him out just yet,”   
  
Silence falls over the table and Nini turns Big Red’s words over and over again in her head.  
  
Eventually, they both notice the time and they pay the bill, walking out into the cold air that now covers all of Sawyer Island. Big Red drives her home and it’s quiet, but she likes it this time around – she feels calm now, a little more assured of where she stands. He pulls into the driveway and Nini can see the porch light still on – an indication that her moms are still waiting up for her.   
  
“That speech of yours, back at the diner. About not counting out Ricky just yet. I’m not, you know,” she says, unbuckling her seatbelt.   
  
“I’m glad,” Big Red nods and Nini gets out of the car. Just before she’s about to the close the door, he stops her. “Listen, I know…I know you probably see all of this as a summer fling. Maybe that’s the way Ricky sees it too. And that’s fine. But he’s worth it, Nini. Beyond a summer fling…he’s worth it,”   
  
He gives her a smile and she shuts the door, watches the car as it leaves the driveway. It’s a weird feeling, sort of like she’s just come out of pool, thoroughly cleansed. She can hear the waves crashing against the docks, can even hear the soft, distant sounds of music from somewhere down the road.  
  
Nini doesn’t quite know what to do with all this information – Ricky, Lynne Bowen, Big Red and his own observations. She’s so used to putting things into boxes, but she doesn’t know where any of this goes anymore and now it’s all just scattered on the floor of her brain.   
  
_‘It’s 2 am. You need sleep,’_ she thinks to herself instead, walking towards her front door. She pulls out her phone to send a thank you message to Big Red, sees hundreds of messages from Carlos, Seb, Ashlyn, and even EJ, but she scrolls through them quickly. Her heart breaks when she suddenly realizes what’s missing.  
  
There are no messages from Ricky at all.


	9. The Hope of it All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, this was so fun to write! I had a blast – writing Nini is a little frustrating because I’m not quite sure where her head’s at half the time, but I hope I detailed her perspective with this well. I also like seeing her friends with Gina (who’s a really fun character to write in this universe), so I had to throw in a little girl-chat in there. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys like this! Let me know what you think. :)

Nini spends the rest of the weekend holed up in the house, ignoring the worried looks that pass between her moms. She doesn’t want to tell them about what happened, but at the same time, she’s not sure if she can stand the pitying glances that are being thrown her way. Finally, on late Sunday afternoon, Mama D sits down on the couch with her and Nini braces herself for what will undoubtedly be an awkward conversation.   
  
“Where are your friends this weekend, sweetie?” she asks and Nini avoids her gaze, focusing instead on the ukulele on her lap.   
  
“They’re busy,” Nini replies with a shrug. “I don’t…really want to talk about it, if that’s okay,” Mama D nods and leans back into the couch, turning on the TV. The sounds of a news show plays on a low volume, but Nini wants it to drown out the noise in her head.   
  
Her thoughts have been a mess ever since Big Red dropped her home after the disastrous party. She spends most of her time debating between texting Ricky first and letting him do the honors – in the end, she almost always ends up shoving her phone underneath her pillow, as if that will make her less prone to thinking about him. It doesn’t work, of course. Ricky is on her mind constantly and she wants to see him, at least just to see if he’s doing okay with his mom in town. But just when she thinks she owes him that much, Ricky’s voice comes to her, his face partially covered by the shadows of the street lights, loud and clear – _“You’re being a turn-off.”_   
  
“What do you think about going out for dinner tonight? The Porters gave us a free pass to use at Hawk Ridge, any time we’d like,” Mama D’s voice pulls Nini out of her thoughts and although she’s ready to say no, she can’t help but feel like she needs to get out of the house. “I promise, it’s just dinner. No strings attached. I won’t even let you have dessert if it means we can get back home in time for the late night talk shows,”   
  
Nini chuckles and puts aside her ukulele. “Yeah, okay, let’s go out.”   
  
Several hours later, Nini is sitting in a beautiful restaurant, overlooking the sprawling Hawk Ridge golf course. The Georgian Room, where they’re seated, looks like it’s draped in gold, the waiters dressed in sharp suits, and it feels like there’s too much cutlery on the table. Nini, clad in a mid-length black dress with her hair piled up, almost feels like she’s overdressed for the occasion. But she’s glad she made the decision to follow her moms - the Porters end up joining them for dinner and even she can admit that as far as older people go, they’re lovely people.  
  
“I’m sorry Gina couldn’t make it tonight, Nina – I had no idea you were coming along, otherwise I would have made her stay in,” Mrs. Porter explains, her long, delicate fingers curled around the stem of a wine glass.   
  
“Oh, that’s okay – this was a last-minute thing, anyway,” Nini replies.   
  
“She’s out with EJ again, of course. They spend nearly every minute during the day together, you’d think they would have run out of things to talk about at night! But that’s teenage love for you, I suppose,” Mrs. Porter says with a chuckle and Nini just smiles back, trying to ignore the little pang in her heart. She’s grateful when Mr. Porter changes the subject, asking Mama D about the law firm she’s joining in Salt Lake City and immediately, the attention shifts away from Nini.   
  
Except - Mrs. Porter’s words keep ringing over and over again in her head. _‘Teenage love,’_ she thinks. Nini’s not sure about teenage love, really. She doesn’t know if what she has with Ricky is considered love – all she knows is that she likes herself when she’s around him and likes how she feels whenever he’s nearby. But the party changed all of it, didn’t it? It was the first time she felt unequipped to handle the situation, like it was bigger than she could ever be. And still, she remembers Ricky’s face, pained and angry and sad. It was more than the fight, it was his mother coming back and throwing his whole summer off track and him not dealing with it in a healthy way.   
  
Teenage love. It feels like it, but she’s not sure what she feels anymore. 

* * *

On Monday, at her moms’ insistence, Nini goes into town with Gina to help her shop for an upcoming Fourth of July cookout at Hawk Ridge. Gina swears she doesn’t have anything red, white, or blue in wardrobe (which is a lie, but whatever), so that’s how they end up strolling the main street again, ducking into fancy little boutiques. Nini picks out a new swimsuit and a cover-up, mostly to appease Gina, but she can’t deny that it feels a little good, too.   
  
The sun is relentless when they decide to sit down at a small café for a quick break, but they pick a table outside anyway, to people watch. Nini manages one sip of her smoothie before Gina asks her, “So…can we talk about Ricky now?”   
  
She almost chokes on her smoothie, feels it slide down her throat, thick and cold. She squeezes her eyes shut, opens them again, even though they’re shielded by sunglasses. “How long have you been waiting to bring him up?”   
  
“Since I picked you up, but I thought I’d be considerate,” Gina smirks. “Come on, what happened? You’ve been out of it since this morning,”   
  
With a sigh, Nini rests her elbows on the table, her chin cradled in her hand. “Things just got heated at the party, that’s all. He showed up drunk and he said some stupid things, I probably said some stupid things, he called me a turn-off, and…”   
  
“He called you a _what?!_ ” Gina shrieks. “That _moron_ ,”   
  
Nini nods because yeah, he is. And despite knowing that, there’s a small part of her that believes what he said – and that maybe he isn't as into her as he thinks.  
  
“No, don’t do that. I can see it in your face,” Gina waves her hand in front of Nini’s face to snap her out of her own thoughts. “You, Nini, are not a turn-off. That boy is crazy about you – but that’s also not what counts. His opinion doesn’t define who you are, okay? And not to sound creepy, but you’re beautiful and gorgeous and I would _kill_ for your legs,”   
  
Nini laughs, because even though Gina’s being a little ridiculous, she’s also kind of right. Still, out of everything Ricky said to her that night, it’s that comment that worms its way into her thoughts constantly. And yeah, it hurts. She’s always liked the way he looked at her, like she holds the answers to everything he needs. Except that night…there was nothing familiar about the look in his eyes.   
  
“Besides, I’m sure he’ll apologize soon. Ricky knows when he’s messed up – or at the very least, Big Red will tell him,” Gina laughs and then swiftly changes the subject to the upcoming Fourth of July party, her eyes lighting up when she explains that it’s also her and EJ’s anniversary.   
  
Nini lets her ramble on, happy to be distracted by another story. But still, her mind wanders to Ricky. It’s hard, she thinks. She’s still angry, but ultimately, she just wants to talk to him again. She misses the way his fingers skim across her knuckles when she’s telling a story or how his curls fall over his eyes. She doesn’t know how she’s gotten here – missing someone she’s only known for a few weeks.   
  
And then suddenly, in the middle of Gina’s long-winded story, she sees him. Ricky, across the street, waiting to cross. He has sunglasses on and she doesn’t know if he can see her, but for Nini, it’s like the world stops and she can feel herself losing control, as if the ground beneath her feet shifts. The pedestrian light turns green and he crosses the street and he’s close enough that if Nini calls out to him, he’d hear. But she doesn’t, because…well, she doesn’t want this conversation to take place at a café on the main street, in public. Ricky pauses, looks to his left, then his right, as if he’s contemplating something, and then it’s unmistakable – his gaze lands on her and she can feel it, prickling and buzzing across her skin. His mouth opens slightly, as if he wants to say something, but then he turns the opposite direction, and Nini wonders if she even saw him at all.

* * *

When she’s stressed and anxious, Nini heads to the kitchen to bake cookies. She’s not sure how that habit started, but she remembers being six years old the first time it happened. And now, for the thousandth time, she’s standing in the kitchen, cheeks streaked with flour and she’s a little sweaty, because it’s taken her twice as long to find anything, but she doesn’t care. There’s something calming about baking – she likes this, knows how to do this. Her moms have gone out for the night and Nini turns up her music loud, lets herself to dance around the kitchen in her fuzzy socks and oversized sweater, hair up in a wild ponytail.   
  
_I’m outside._   
  
Her phone pings loudly, cutting through the music, and when she sees that the message comes from Ricky, she freezes. Her mind goes into overdrive and maybe she’s got a bit of a sugar high, or maybe the lunch with Gina gave her a new perspective on the situation, but she’s done feeling sorry and sad – to be honest, Nini’s a little pissed off. And if Ricky thinks she’s such a turn-off, well, he can tell that to her face and they can end it and she can spend the rest of her summer getting into trouble with Gina or Ashlyn or Kourtney or Carlos.   
  
At least, that’s what she tells herself.   
  
She opens the front door and it’s like the wind gets knocked out of her. Ricky, dressed in jeans and sweatshirt, his hair a mess. The corner of his mouth curls up into a small smile and Nini feels her brain start to short-circuit, like her entire body is responding to one thing and one thing only.   
  
“Hi,” he says, a little breathless. She steps aside to let him in and they walk wordlessly towards the kitchen. “Baking?”   
  
Nini pauses for a moment, before she goes back behind the counter to continue dropping cookies onto a baking sheet. “Chocolate chip cookies,” she explains, can feel Ricky nod across the room. He moves closer, leans against the kitchen island she’s working on and she’s trying her hardest to avoid his gaze, because if she looks at him, she might break completely.   
  
They’re silent for a while, just the sound of cookies hitting the pan filling up the kitchen, until Ricky makes the first move. “I’m sorry,” he says and it comes out strangled in his throat, as if it’s struggling to make it out.   
  
“For what?” Her voice is steady, calm, and a part of her is patting herself on the back for this confrontation and how different it is than their fight in the parking lot.   
  
“For showing up drunk. For driving to the party drunk. For not being able to work out my own issues with…my mom…like an adult,” he stumbles over the mention of Lynne and it’s the first time he acknowledges his mother at all – but it’s enough for Nini to lift her head and look at him in the eyes.   
  
“Ricky, I’m – ” she starts, but then he shakes his head, rounding the counter to stand in front of her.   
  
“Hold on a second, just…let me do this, okay?” he asks, waits for her to nod before he continues. “When I walked into the house for dinner with my dad, my mom was just…there. Like she _hadn’t_ just abandoned us here for the summer to stay in Chicago. She cooked dinner, put on this whole act like we were some happy family. Then, just before we get to dessert, she tells us that she’s filing for divorce,”   
  
Nini’s heart sinks and she shifts closer to him, reaches out with her hand, but then pulls it back, because she’s not sure what the right thing is. He catches her hand, runs the pad of his thumb over her knuckles and she softens, almost completely in his hold.   
  
“I don’t really know what happened after that. They started fighting and yelling and there was a plate that got thrown…I just remember grabbing a bottle from the kitchen and getting in the car. I don’t think I really knew what I was doing, to be honest. But whatever, that’s not an excuse. I messed up,” he murmurs, his eyes focused on Nini’s hand. “I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that, I know. I woke up the next morning and there were a thousand messages from Big Red, just yelling at me. And I just…couldn’t deal, so I didn’t reach out to you and I was being a stupid coward,”   
  
“Ricky,” his name comes out of her mouth in a whisper and she lifts his chin to look at her. He’s frowning, eyebrows pushed together with worry, searching her face for any sort of indication that she’s still in this. And that’s the crazy part, she realizes – that despite everything, Nini knows her heart is still very much in this.   
  
“I’m sorry,” Ricky says, resting his forehead against hers and he’s so close, Nini can feel his heart beating out of his chest.   
  
“I didn’t know how to take care of you,” her voice is small and she feels like she’s teetering on the edge of something she can’t explain, but all she knows is that she wants to jump – thinks she can if Ricky is next to her, falling in tandem.   
  
“No, that’s the thing – I shouldn’t have expected you to fix everything. I don’t think I did, but that’s how it came off. And I’m sorry for yelling at you and scaring you, instead of just sitting down like a normal human being and telling you what happened,” he says it with conviction, his arm wrapped around her waist now and Nini lets herself get pulled into him, thinking that he smells like home feels.   
  
“Can we be okay again?”   
  
Somewhere between Ricky entering the house and now, wrapped in his arms, Nini thinks she just wants to throw caution to the wind. Sure, she could spend the rest of her summer without the complications of a relationship, but she’s figuring out now – she doesn’t want to. Not when the alternative is Ricky Bowen.   
  
He lifts his head and grins, his cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling and Nini flashbacks to when she first met him, new and shiny and beautiful. “One more thing,” he says, then reaches out to cup her cheek, pulling her in close.   
  
He surrounds her now and she wants to lose herself, because there’s something reckless and dangerous about it all, but if she jumps with Ricky, then it doesn’t feel like she’s losing anything.   
  
“You drive me crazy, Nini. I’m head over heels. And – ” Ricky chuckles, pauses so his lips are just touching hers. “You are _such_ a turn-on,”   
  
It comes out in a whisper and she wants to burst out laughing, but then his mouth is on hers and it feels like he’s everywhere. She presses herself closer to him, her body melding against his and then he’s trapping her against the kitchen counter and she doesn’t want to think about anything else but Ricky, because she’s never been kissed like this before.   
  
Somewhere in the haze of it all, she realizes she could want to be kissed like this for the rest of her life.


	10. Too Good to be True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took me a while! I got busy with other stuff happening in my life and this kind of fell to the side, but ANYWAY. Had a lot of fun writing this chapter, especially the scenes between Ricky/Nini – they’re still the easiest to write, thank god.
> 
> Hope you enjoy – let me know what you think!

Spiderman is flinging himself from building to building in New York City, but the only thing Nini can focus on is Ricky’s fingertips drawing patterns on her knee. He’s sprawled out on her bed, his head in her lap, and it takes everything in her not to jump him right then and there. Technically, she could. Her moms are out on the Porter’s boat and they have nowhere to be until dinner time – these are all the little details Nini runs through her head as she debates whether or not she can turn off the movie. It should embarrass her that all she wants to do is make out with him, but then again, it’s _summer_. She’s allowed to, right?

“Get your mind out of the gutter, _Nina_ ,” Ricky says suddenly, pinching her knee to emphasize his point.  
  
“You don’t know where my mind’s been,” she snaps back, even though it is still very much in the gutter, exactly where he says it is. But he doesn’t need to know that.  
  
Ricky scoffs and pulls himself up so he’s facing her, a smirk curling his lip. “Oh come on. Your moms are away, there’s no one else in the house…” he leans forward and presses his lips against hers, confidently and assuredly. Nini lets herself melt into him for five full seconds before she pulls away.  
  
“You’re trouble,” she laughs, her heart beating out of her chest. He chuckles and flops onto his back, tucking one arm underneath his head. “So, this Fourth of July party at Hawk Ridge…” she starts.  
  
“Ah yes, the Porter’s infamous cookout. Excited?”  
  
She wrinkles her nose in response. “I don’t know. Is it going to be fancy?”  
  
“It’s a cookout,” “Yeah, but does that mean the same thing at Hawk Ridge as it does with normal people?” Nini asks. It’s a stupid question, she knows that. By now, she shouldn’t be feeling self-conscious when it comes to hanging out at the country club, but it’s a far cry from Chapel Hill. And while she’s comfortable around Gina and the rest of the gang, there’s something about the country club that always gets to her.  
  
Ricky tugs at her, so she lies down next to him, their fingers intertwined. “Fourth of July is pretty laidback, everyone’s in shorts and getting wasted before the fireworks start,” he grins. Nini knows he’s bursting to tell a story, but then he swallows it down, and a look of worry crosses his face. “If you’re worried about me showing up to the party like how I did at the beach…”  
  
“No, no, it’s not that,” she sits back up quickly, tucking her legs underneath her to face him.  
  
“You sure? Because I swear, that was a one-time thing and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, but now that you know my mom’s back in town…”  
  
Nini rushes forward and kisses him on the mouth to shut him up. “I know, you idiot,” she laughs. “It’s just a new crowd, that’s all. Hawk Ridge is fancy and I don’t want to feel out of place,”  
  
“What if we go together?” Ricky asks, fingers trailing up the bare skin of her thigh. “Then maybe you won’t feel so out of place?”  
  
Nini grins and takes his fingers off her thigh, turning his palm upwards so she can draw patterns. “Are you asking me out on a date, Ricky Bowen?"  
  
“Is that a yes?”  
  
“Duh,”  
  
Ricky smiles and it’s big and bright enough to light up the room. She curls back into him, resting her chin on top of his chest, legs wrapped around his. Nini reaches out, cards her fingers through his curls, and presses feather-light kisses across his jawline. She can feel him shiver underneath her and there’s something empowering about being the one to do that.  
  
It’s easy like this, safe and contained from the rest of the world. Nini can tell he’s not worried about his parents here and neither of them are thinking about what comes next – she’s not sure she wants to think about that at all.

* * *

The Fourth of July lands on a Saturday and Nini spends the first part of her morning trying to weave in red, blue, and white ribbons through her hair. She just finishes tying off a small braid, when there’s a sharp knock at the door.  
  
“Hey, you,” Ricky leans against the doorframe and Nini feels her heart skip a beat. He’s beautiful, all lean muscles and curly hair, a little tan and sun-kissed from days on the water. He crosses the room swiftly and wraps his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to her jawline. “You look pretty,” he mumbles.  
  
She grins at that, leans back and lets herself melt a little. Sometimes she can’t believe this is actually how her summer is going – on a beautiful island, with the boy of her dreams, and a group of friends that she loves unconditionally. It’s like a dream.  
  
“Hey, you’re nice,” Nini chuckles, twisting around in Ricky’s arms. She kisses him quickly, then untangles herself from him, packing her little backpack for the day. “Are you parents going to meet you there?”  
  
Ricky nods. “They’re driving over there a little later. I told Big Red we’d pick him up on the way, if that’s okay?”  
  
“Fine with me,” she smiles and slips her hand in his and together, they make their way out of the house and into Ricky’s car.  
  
The drive is quiet, country music playing through the radio and Ricky’s fingers tapping the steering wheel in time to the beats. They pick up Big Red, who already looks sunburned somehow, despite the fact that he’s clearly applied sunblock recently, if the white cast all over his skin is any indication. He says he looks like a lobster and Ricky wholeheartedly agrees, before he clicks open the sunroof and they drive the seaside road up to Hawk Ridge. Nini can feel the wind in her hair and she’s laughing at Ricky and Big Red and it feels too good to be true – in a car, in beautiful weather, with a boy she could love forever.  
  
 _‘There it is – that’s the scary part,’_ she thinks.  
  
Nini’s never been in love before. She’s had boys who she liked, boys she admired from afar, but nothing as intense or as pure or as real as what she feels for Ricky Bowen. She doesn’t know what love is, does she? Isn’t that what everyone says – that they’re too young, that they’re still kids? But when she sneaks a peek at the boy in the driver’s seat, who almost runs a red light, her heart feels like its too big for her body and goosebumps prickle her skin even though it’s blazing hot outside. The air around her feels charged and buzzed and she wants to live in it forever, wants to feel safe with him forever.  
  
Ricky catches her eye and a corner of his lip curls up in a half-smile and she sticks her tongue out at him and they laugh and it all feels like magic.  
  
When they arrive at Hawk Ridge, Nini feels the last bits of self-doubt ebb away, as they immediately make their way towards their friends. Kourtney and Ashlyn are both sprawled out on matching lawn chairs, EJ is at a nearby grill, and Gina is busy talking to another country club member. Nini spots her moms arriving several minutes after her, they give her a big smile and wave, before they get pulled in to a conversation with the Porters and the Caswells.  
  
“Ooh, I love your hair ribbons – very patriotic!” Kourtney says, reaching up to give Nini a one-armed hug. “EJ’s pretending he knows how to grill – I still haven’t eaten yet,” she whispers loudly.  
  
“Party foul, Kourt!” EJ cries in response and the group laughs. Nini settles down on the picnic blanket, tucking her legs underneath her, while Ricky leaves her to join EJ at the grill.   
  
“So, looks like you and Ricky made up?” Carlos asks, nudging his shoulder against Nini’s and offering her a drink.  
  
She nods and takes a sip, chews on the side of the cup thoughtfully. “We did. He’s good at apologizing,” she jokes.  
  
“Oh, that boy can sweet-talk his way into anything, that’s for sure,” Carlos’ eyebrows rise skeptically. “But he’s being good?”  
  
“Carlos, it was one slip-up. And it was for a good reason, I guess,” Nini shrugs.  
  
“Well…good. I don’t want to see either of you hurt,” he grins and pulls her into a hug. “I could tell you guys made up, though. We haven’t seen or heard from Ricky in like, a week – Kourt says he’s been holed up at your house,”  
  
Nini laughs and concedes that it’s true. In the week since they made up, Ricky’s been spending more and more time at the Salazar-Roberts and while at first her moms didn’t like it, they gave in when they realized that the Bowen’s home was a ticking time bomb. Mike and Lynne were up to their ears in divorce papers, arguments, and sometimes screaming matches with one another that Ricky slipped under their radar easily. He had shown up to their house unannounced multiple times already, each time wearing a sheepish smile and offering apologies.  
  
Now, when Nini looks at him from across the lawn, he offers her a different kind of smile – one that’s bright, beaming, and beautiful. Her heart skips a beat and she feels him warm across her skin. It’s exactly what summer and first loves and freedom feels like.  
  
They spend the next few hours with their friends, listening to funny stories and trying to play the games of cornhole and Connect Four set up on the big lawn. There’s more maple floss and Gina smuggles over a couple bottles of beer and wine, which they drink discreetly, away from their parents. As the sun starts to set over the horizon, Ricky and Nini find an empty table to occupy, their plates piled high with food from the cookout – none of which have been cooked by EJ, who gave up as soon as someone announced a game of touch football had started. It’s all a little perfect, just Nini and her favorite people, music playing softly in the background, the twinkling fairy lights already casting an ethereal glow over Hawk Ridge.  
  
They’re talking about taking another boat trip with the whole gang when they’re suddenly interrupted by someone Nini has only ever seen in pictures.  
  
“Hi, honey!”  
  
Her voice is high and a little shrill, but she hugs Ricky fiercely and Nini can only assume that the woman is his mother. She clocks how much of her features mirror Ricky’s – the sharp nose, the deep brown eyes, even the similar jawlines.  
  
“Hey, mom,” Ricky mumbles and stands up, pulling Nini with him. “Um, this is Nini Salazar-Roberts. Nini, this is…my mom,” his voice shakes at the end and she reaches over, squeezing his fingers with her own, hopes he gets the message that she gets it now.  
  
“Hi, Mrs. Bowen – it’s nice to meet you,” Nini says, sticking her hand out for a handshake.  
  
Lynne, to her credit, doesn’t miss a beat. “Hello! It’s so lovely to finally meet you!” she bends down and swipes Nini up in a short hug. “I heard you’re keeping Ricky quite busy,” she grins.  
  
“Trying to keep him out of trouble is a full-time job,” Nini jokes, before she feels Ricky’s arm make its way around her waist. She turns towards him, almost automatically, and sees something a little unrecognizable in his deep brown eyes.  
  
He takes a breath and turns to his mom, before he blurts out, “Nini is my girlfriend.”  
  
The words fly out of Ricky’s mouth fast, rushed, like he needs to say it now or never. It’s the first admission of anything resembling a label from either of them, but hearing him officially say it, it’s a little bit thrilling. His face is calm, steady, and collected.  
  
“Oh! Well, I’m…glad. And I hope we get to spend some time together this summer,” Lynne smiles and reaches out to squeeze Nini’s arm affectionately. She nods, still a little in shock at Ricky’s confession, and just watches her walk away.  
  
Meanwhile, Ricky sits back down and digs into the food on his plate, as if he hadn’t just called Nini his girlfriend _out loud_.

* * *

Several hours later, after Hawk Ridge’s Fourth of July fireworks have finished lighting up the sky, Ricky and Nini are settled in the bed of his truck, parked just near the beach. The waves are crashing against the shore and it’s chilly, but Nini has her legs tucked under a huge, fluffy blanket, and she’s wearing Ricky’s sweatshirt, the sleeves hanging past her wrists.  
  
“I love the Fourth of July,” he murmurs, lips against her hair. Nini leans further back into him, burrows herself into his arms.  
  
“It’s never really been my favorite holiday, to be honest. We don’t ever really do much,”  
  
Ricky bends down then, captures her lips with his and Nini immediately feels herself melting – she could be kissed by Ricky Bowen for the rest of her life and it would always feel like the first time. When he pulls away, there’s a smirk playing across his lips and she shoves him a little, feels a laugh bubble up in her throat, that same feeling she’s felt curling in her stomach; it shouldn’t feel this good, this easy, this fast.  
  
Part of her thinks this is all too good to be true, like she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But another part of her wants to just jump in with both feet and deal with the consequences later. Her heart feels like it’s two sizes too big, on the cusp of bursting because of how much she likes him.  
  
Or loves him.  
  
She’s still not sure and that’s a big word to throw around – especially with Ricky, given his family and the fact that they’ll be in different cities by the end of summer.  
  
“I’d like to think you like this year’s Fourth of July,” Ricky laughs, squeezing her a bit closer.  
  
Nini shifts out of his grip so she’s facing him, resting on his chest. “Hey, so…things with your mom…”  
  
“Are fine,” he finishes. Then with a sigh, he says, “They’re…they are what they are. I think my dad’s sort of just accepted it. I don’t really know what’s going to happen, though. Ideally, yeah, it’d be a clean break. But I heard them talking about custody and where to live…it’s all a little messed up,”  
  
“Your parents love you, though. You know that, right?”  
  
Ricky nods. “Yeah, I never doubted that, I just wish…I guess I just wish they’d love each other, still,”  
  
“Adults,” Nini shakes her head, reaching up to press a soft kiss to his jawline. Her fingers play with the ends of his curls and she gets lost in it all, the cold night air, the crash of the waves, the muffled music from Hawk Ridge that she can still hear.  
  
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Ricky asks suddenly.  
  
Nini takes a deep breath and lets it out, debates whether she should be bringing it up at all, especially with everything going on in his life. Surely his parents divorcing are significantly more important than him calling her his girlfriend, right?  
  
But then she’s brought back to the Ricky of it all – his arms wrapped around her waist, his thumb softly tracing her jawline and down her neck. He’s too close and not close enough, all at the same time. So she decides to take the plunge.  
  
“You called me your girlfriend,” she blurts out. “I’m just…surprised, I guess? We never really talked about that,”  
  
Ricky chuckles, shifts them so that they’re both sitting cross-legged, facing each other. He takes both her hands in his, turns them so they’re palms up, his fingers drawing lazy figures across her skin. “We can talk about it now,” he says.  
  
“I just…well, isn’t there kind of an expiration date with us? You’re going back to Chicago, I’m moving to Salt Lake City…it all seems a little doomed,”  
  
Nini sees him bristle a little at that, his nose scrunching up. “You think we’re doomed?”  
  
“Ricky,” she says softly, pulls his face closer to hers. “We’ve really only been together for like, a month. With everything going on…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy you called me your girlfriend. Like, _stupidly_ happy,” Nini laughs, feels her cheeks flush at how natural the word sounds coming from her own mouth.  
  
“Okay, so, why can’t we just be happy?” Ricky murmurs. She hesitates, trying to decide what to say next. He makes it seem so easy, as if there isn’t anything to be afraid of, as if they’re not risking their hearts.  
  
She wanted a summer of change and this is what she got – more than she asked for, more than she could have ever imagined; a beautiful boy and a heart touched by something that feels like magic.  
  
“C’mon, Nini,” he pleads, presses a quick kiss to her lips. “We’re young and a little stupid and yes, I’ll be your boyfriend, but we can figure out the rest later, can’t we?”  
  
Nini pulls back and takes him in, all messy hair and deep brown eyes, lips pink from kisses and leftover lip balm. Ricky Bowen will be the death of her, she knows it.  
  
“I never asked you to be my boyfriend,” she finally says, grinning.  
  
“So I’m a little presumptuous,” he beams then, the smile reaching all the way up to his eyes. “Come here,” he pulls her back in and they fall against each other, his back hitting the truck bed. The ocean waves crash against the shore and night sky lights up with another round of fireworks, Hawk Ridge’s extra surprise for the Fourth of July, and it’s all a little perfect.  
  
And then Ricky’s kissing her soft and slow, knocking her world a little off its axis and she doesn’t want to be anywhere but here – Sawyer Island with her boyfriend – and she smiles, because it all feels too good, too real, too much like magic.


End file.
